Just Business

An Enforcer's Day Gets a Little Bit Complicated

By Mongoose750 (mongoose750@yahoo.com)

It was an early morning as Diane Adler drove her red Porsche convertible to the meeting place that was suggested to her two hours earlier that day. Abandoned railroad tracks beside a dirt field, could this meeting get anymore mysterious, Diane thought to herself as she parked beside another car that had arrived earlier.

Diane, a slim 5'7" brunette, was the owner of a printing house in town. She started the place from scratch a few years ago, and it was a possible candidate for New Business of the Year from the town's Chamber of Commerce. In fact, business seemed to be doing so well, a mysterious buyer wanted to buy it for three times its worth. Diane was flattered at the offer, except for two things; the business was like a child to her; having gone through "birth pains" starting it, and fretted over it, like any mother with their child. The other thing was that she heard rumors about the buyer, and how she did not like to take no for an answer. She was also the head of some weird women's organization that was trying to take over the city or something like that. Again, it would be a nice offer, but still she wasn't going to sell her company to just anybody.

After saying no a third time, the representative for this buyer requested this spot for "final negotiations." Diane wondered what the purpose would be. Killing her would be counterproductive, besides her sources told her she doesn't operate like that. The downside of that however was her source also had her own business she didn't want to sell, and she hadn't heard from her in the last couple of days. No matter, she didn't build her printing house because of weakness; she did it because she had what it took to have a business today, courage and toughness. She planned on facing this situation the same way.

She didn't dress special for this occasion; she wore her favorite jogging suit, red with black racing stripes down the sides, composed of a zip-up jacket and pants with zippers on the bottom of the legs. The feel of the silk outfit on her skin always made her feel a little daring, like she could take on the world.

After she got out of her car, she walked a few steps toward a figure that was apparently waiting for her (what other reason would you have to be hanging around in the middle of nowhere?), sitting on a pile of wooden railroad ties. The other figure was a woman, standing 5'5", with a facial complexion that seemed to be either American Indian or Asian, Diane couldn't tell. She looked like she worked out quite a bit, the muscle tone obvious in her bare arms and legs. A pair of black-mirrored sunglasses covered her face, while she wore a black halter-top with spaghetti straps, and a short brown skirt, along with a black fanny pack strapped around her waist. And she wore no shoes. An ankle bracelet was the only footwear she had on as she was tracing patterns with her left big toe in the loose dirt. Rather unusual for a business meeting, Diane thought, but then again, her outfit wasn't something you wore to a board meeting either. As the woman saw her, she rose and walked to meet her.

"Ms. Adler, I presume?" The woman addressed her in a neutral, businesslike tone.

"Yes, that's me, the one and only," Diane said. "Let's just cut to the chase, and get to the reason why we're here in the first place, shall we, Ms.?"

"My codename is "Icy Hot,' like the liniment you rub on," the woman replied.

Icy Hot? Well her manner was cool enough," Diane thought. Wonder what the "hot" part is?

"Okay Ms. ' can I call you "Icy?'"

"That's fine."

"I assume the reason you brought me way out here in the middle of who knows where was to give me a final offer on my printing house. Let me tell you right now, I do not respond to threats very well, so unless you have a gun underneath that skirt, I'm not selling. That's my final answer."

Icy Hot nodded. "So that is your final decision?"

"Yes it is."

Icy Hot opened up her fanny pack and pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves. With the same detached manner that she addressed Diane, she slowly put them on.

"What are you doing?" Diane asked.

"I am one of my employer's "enforcers,'" Icy Hot said, "and my job is to display her . . . disappointment when a business deal does not go well. Let me just say that it's nothing personal, you're probably a decent person and all that, but it's just business."

Diane was shocked. "You mean to tell me that because I didn't sell to your boss, you're going to beat me up?"

Icy Hot fastened the Velcro strap on her last glove. "That's a mildly blunt way of putting it, but yes, that's correct."

"You think I'm going to just stand here and let you beat on me, you have another thing coming," Diane exploded.

"Actually, it would be more preferable to me if you put up a defense, and it might make you feel better at least. However, if you decide to take the punishment without defense, it will end faster. I believe your friend, the one who owned the interior decorating business took that option."

"Laura? You beat up Laura? How could you ' wait a minute, those are her sunglasses, aren't they?" Diane demanded, pointing at Icy Hot's face.

"Correction, those were her sunglasses," Icy Hot corrected.

Enraged, Diane charged at her opponent. Her battle plan was to simply throw the first punch, and to keep doing so until she was finished.

That plan didn't last long.

The next thing she knew, Diane was on her back looking at the clouds in the sky. She wasn't sure how she got there. She thought she remembered a punch to the ribs and a kick to the face, but she wasn't sure. All she knew was the world was spinning while she was lying still.

Icy Hot stood over her dispassionately, then bent down and started to unzip the top of Diane's jogging suit.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Diane said, realizing how groggy she sounded.

"I'm taking a trophy," Icy Hot said. "It's not everyday I see a silk jogging suit, and I've had my eyes on it ever since I saw it on you. Don't worry; I'll take good care of it. I'll need to make some alterations with the legs though."

"No, please don't!" Diane pleaded. She attempted to get up, but the world hasn't stopped turning yet.

"You can always go and buy another one, Ms. Adler," Icy Hot said. "Besides, if you took my employer up on her offer, we wouldn't have ' to ' oh my."

Icy Hot saw the reason for Diane's distress. If it wasn't for the fact she was wearing sunglasses, one could've seen that her eyes have grew a little larger than usual from surprise. For underneath Diane's jacket, she wore ' nothing. No T-shirt, no sports bra, no standard bra, nothing. The enforcer quickly zipped the jacket up, and then trotted to her car. Diane thought she won a small victory there until she saw Icy Hot unzip her jacket again. This time she quickly took off the jacket, and placed a blanket on her chest.

"I understand the meeting I called was rather abrupt, Ms. Adler, but not that abrupt that you couldn't take the time to put on an undergarment," she said.

"Silk feels good," Diane mumbled.

Icy Hot wondered if she displayed her lack of modesty with her business clothes, then shooed away the thought as she steeled herself for taking off the jogging pants. She found that Diane wore a red thong that had the width and the thickness of a ribbon, but at least it was something. She then checked the label. Machine washable, excellent.

Diane finally managed to sit up, but when she realized she was now wearing only red thong panties, white sport socks, and white running shoes, she grabbed the blanket and wrapped it tightly around herself. Icy Hot tossed her jogging suit on the passenger's side of the front seat of her car, and then got in herself.

"Farewell, Ms Adler," the enforcer said. "Perhaps the next time the Daughters of Athena give you a generous offer, you'll take it. And for future reference, the next time you wear a jogging suit, please wear something underneath."

She drove off, leaving Diane with the dilemma of how she was going to get in her condominium wearing only a blanket.

In the Daughters of Athena, there were several offices that existed. One of the offices that numerous candidates have tried to achieve was the position of enforcer. Though all members of the Daughters of Athena or DOA are enrolled in intense martial arts training and weight training for at least a year, enforcers were those who already had existing training prior to joining, or have decided to continue their training, molding their bodies into a virtual living weapon.

The office of enforcer itself was divided into several categories. One department where they received the most auditions was the Elite Guard, a group of warriorettes that perform various duties, a number of them in high crime areas. The other categories of enforcers were generally solitary positions. Some have the position of troubleshooter, solving problems that may occur at DOA functions or facilities. Some had the position of protector, like the enforcer named Blue Elephant, where they're sent to particular places to keep them from harm. And some, like Icy Hot, were in the position of "persuaders" or "convincer," who were sent to convince others to make the right decision, usually regarding a business deal ' or else. Special care was taken with the selection of this position, to make sure the candidate was not passive, but not a complete sadist either. All "convincing" and the dishing out of consequences were to be done in a businesslike manner.

Generally, enforcers were normally lone wolves, but in this case, five of them who worked in the general area met each other, became good friends, and decided to share a large apartment together. It was at this apartment that Icy Hot returned to. As she came in the door and passed through the dining room, she saw three of her roommates playing poker at the dining room table.

Icy Hot, or Ayaka, her real name, was home schooled, then became a student at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, obtaining her bachelor's degree in Computer Science when she met some representatives of the DOA. As they funded her schooling, they noticed that she was an excellent student, learning the martial art of karate about as efficiently as she learned what made computers tick. She graduated college, and then traveled to the states where she also passed the test for enforcer with flying colors. She eventually decided that she liked living in the lower 48 states. She liked the sun being out only six to twelve hours of the day, as opposed to twenty-four during the summer and none during the winter; she liked all four seasons getting an equal shake; she liked paying a decent price for a cheeseburger (because of its location and seasons, Alaska's primary meat staple is fish); and when some people asked her how she could stand going barefoot during the winter, she would give a slight smile and ask them, "Ever been to Alaska?"

Pattie, one of the card players, also came from Alaska, but before she attended college, she spent a few seasons working on some of the fishing boats searching for Alaskan deep-sea crab. Although she earned a good deal of money, the work was dangerous. When she did start college and encountered the DOA, she jumped at the opportunity, provided it didn't involve fishing, fishing ships, the sea, extremely rough weather, and especially crabs. Whenever the group goes out to eat, for Pattie's sake, they make sure it was not a place where seafood was the main fare. Pattie said that sometimes she still saw crabs in her sleep. Regarding a martial art, Pattie decided on going with the basics, choosing boxing and wrestling. She said the Greeks did well with the latter, and regarding the former, if it worked for Muhammad Ali (her favorite boxer of all time), then it was good enough for her. She was 5'10", had long blonde hair, and was wearing a black cropped tank top, and black athletic shorts with sheer natural colored pantyhose. Her degree was in marketing.

Naomi was a farm girl who was already developing some fine muscles working on her parent's farm in Wyoming. She had the DOA to thank for her degree in agriculture, and for making her a force to be reckoned with regarding her powerful build. She had said being an enforcer was similar to wrestling with the cows on the farm, only that people are lighter, more fragile, and less likely to listen to you. The 5'11" black woman was wearing a pair of gray sweat shorts, an oversized men's white tank top undershirt, and a gray fedora hat that she always wore on top of her long, straight black hair. Her martial art of choice was American kickboxing, because she liked to "kick butt."

Dana was an exchange student from Germany, when she first visited the states. She found she liked it, then later came back to attend college for a degree in mathematics. Along with her love of numbers, Dana discovered she also had a love for bodybuilding. The DOA helped her with both. Along with that, she gained knowledge of jiu-jitsu as well. The 5'6" brunette with shoulder length hair was wearing a matching white with multi-colored patterned sports bra and shorts set that shown off her muscles.

All the women, with the exception of Pattie's hosed feet, were barefoot, as was customary with DOA members, especially those of a higher office. As Icy Hot came in, she heard Pattie finish telling a story.

" . . . So I told her she needed to pay up or else," Pattie said. "She said you don't scare me, I know karate. I said that should make things interesting. So we faced off, and I gave her a right cross - BOOM! - Knocked her out. I stood over her and said, 'lady, you didn't have a good teacher. If you did, he would have told you what to do when you see a punch coming. You know what that would be?'

"All she could say was 'ohhh.'

"'Duck.'"

After everybody stopped laughing, Naomi saw Icy Hot first, and said, "Hey Icy, I see you got another trophy. Be careful, we had to move out of the last place because you had so many trophies."

"But they're smaller this time, Naomi, see?" Icy Hot said, showing the three the jogging outfit.

"Hey, is that silk?" Pattie asked.

"Yes it is. I'll need some alterations made on it," Icy Hot said.

"Such as?"

"I would like some elastic placed in the hems of the legs."

"Not a problem; meanwhile, I need you to do a little something for me."

"Your computer froze again?"

Pattie flashed a guilty smile. "Yes."

"Pattie, you should let me just build you a new one. It won't be any trouble."

Naomi was feeling the material. "Ooo, I bet this feels good. How soon do you plan on wearing this, Icy?"

"As soon as I wash it," Icy Hot said.

"It looks okay to me," Dana said.

"You don't know what she wore under it.

As soon as she told them, what she wore, or how little she wore under the outfit, Naomi dropped the part of the outfit she was feeling like a hot potato.

"Those fancy businessmen types can be some of the most kinkiest folks around," Pattie said. "She probably doesn't wear anything under her business suit."

"I know what you mean," Naomi said. "There was this one dude who kept telling me I couldn't do anything to him because I was a woman. At least he did until I placed my right sole on his forehead. Now whenever he sees me, he goes out of his way to be sweet to me. I heard he's been misbehaving himself again. I think he wants me to smack him again."

"Wasn't there some businesswoman who hired only young men as her workers and her personal harem?" Dana asked.

"Yes, I think one of the yoga warriors gave her a good beating, and another one took one of her men and claimed him as her own boyfriend," Icy Hot said.

"I tell you, some of those corporate types are weird," Pattie said. "They just cover it up well."

"Not well enough."

"And they call us strange," Naomi said. "At least I wear underwear under my clothes."

At that time, another woman entered the apartment and joined the foursome.

Lin Soo-Li was a second generation Chinese-American who received her degree in Pre-Law. She joined the DOA as soon as she enrolled, having heard from others she knew who benefited from the organization. The woman was 5'2", very limber, and very strong, both of which she demonstrated by kicking her right leg high over her head. Her fighting discipline was an eclectic mix of some of the southern styles of kung fu and yoga. Her codename (the only one of the group besides Ayaka to adopt one) was the Little Ninja, although ninjas were a Japanese phenomena. She had her short black hair in a pageboy style, and was wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt, and black pants that was a cross between leggings and tight jeans. She also wore no shoes. The group diverted their attention from Icy Hot's jogging suit to Lin's pants.

"What are those? I mean I know they're pants, but what kind of pants are they?" Naomi asked.

"They're the latest creation from the DOA's foremost designer, Amanda," Lin said proudly. "They are as flexible and soft as leggings or tights, yet they are as tough as jeans. They look tight, but you can still carry a wallet, car keys or spare change, without hurting yourself."

"What are they called? I'd like a pair," Dana said. The others agreed.

"Don't know, she hasn't decided on a name yet, but I'm the first one to try them out." Lin paused as she kicked her left leg over her head. "Especially for the mission I've got tonight."

"What is it?"

"There's a man who's giving our clan a little bit of trouble by speaking out against us, and persuading other businesses not to sell to our boss, so I was recruited to have a little "talk' with him. And get this, he thinks he's safe because he lives in an upstairs apartment and has a few bodyguards at the place. Somebody should have told him to cut down those trees close to the place."

"So he's guarded from the bottom, so you're going to get him from the top," Dana said. "Sneaky."

"That's right!" Lin said as she kicked her right foot over her had again.

"Girl, if you kick him like that, he won't have a head to complain with," Naomi said.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle. So, who wants to come with me?"

"I have to do a shakedown on somebody, so I'll be a little late. I can cover the bottom for you, I haven't had much experience climbing trees anyway," Pattie said.

"I can be there too. My assignment is later this afternoon. I'll cover the bottom with Pattie; trees aren't my thing either," Naomi said.

"I'll be happy to climb the trees with you, Lin," Dana said. "I want to practice on one or two of the bodyguards. I have something this late afternoon, but I think they're going to comply. I need to hit somebody."

"What about you, Icy Hot?" Lin said.

"I think, I'm free for the rest of the day," Icy Hot said, the realization coming over her like a refreshing stream.

"It's about time someone had the day off," Pattie said. "I think between the five of us, we've been with almost every business in town."

"I don't know Lin," Icy Hot said. "After I throw this outfit in the washer, and fix Pattie's computer, I'm going to take it easy for a while. I'm torn between going with you and sitting in front of the TV and chilling out."

"I'd like you to come, but I understand if you don't," Lin said. "Besides, I don't know if there's enough opponents to share among everybody."

Pattie took Icy Hot's jogging suit. "Let me go ahead and fix those cuffs for you, Icy," she said, "then you can throw them in the washer."

"Thanks Pattie," Icy Hot said.

"And regarding what this woman wore under her jogging suit, just be glad you didn't scare her to death."

Icy Hot shuddered at the possibility while the others laughed.

Later that afternoon, Icy Hot was alone in the apartment. She was sitting down on the sofa with a portable vacuum cleaner placed right beside her. The reason for the vacuum cleaner was a bucket filled with sand sitting in-between her legs. She would continually thrust one fist after the other into the sand to toughen her hands. She had already done this with her feet, which were now propped up on the coffee table in front of her, grains of sand falling from her bare soles. Gone was her previous outfit, replaced by a plain white T-shirt and faded blue overalls. While performing her exercises, she was watching the Great Outdoor Games on ESPN on the television.

The gym equipment she used was good for building up her arm and leg strength, but sometimes it didn't compare to the simple act of swinging an ax, Icy Hot thought as she watched the endurance competition, where the contestants use axes and chain saws to attempt cutting thick logs in record time. Sometimes she thought about the idea of her and Pattie returning to their native state to participate in some of the contests there, like the log rolling and log racing competitions, or maybe scrambling up a tree like the lumberjacks did. Of course that would depend on her work log here. It seemed like everyday there were more businessmen and women who wouldn't sell their businesses or pay the proper tribute to her boss, and needed to be dealt with. The whys and other reasons for her missions she didn't bother with, she was just the last resort. That was fine with her. Either they complied or face the consequences. Overall, Icy Hot didn't have a problem with what she did; it just seemed she was doing an awful lot of it lately. Well, not today, she thought, as she lay back on the sofa and relaxed.

And that was when the cell phone rang.

Groaning, Icy Hot plucked her cell phone off the coffee table and answered it. It was her boss with a last minute assignment for her to perform. It involved another businesswoman who had refused to sell her business even though the offer was at three times its worth. She went on a two-week vacation, and she was scheduled to arrive later that afternoon, according to her sources. Icy Hot was to meet her at her car in the airport parking lot, normally a desolate place, and give her the offer one last time, and to be well prepared to dish out plenty of the alternative if she refused. It sounded to Icy Hot like a beating will likely be in this woman's future. She said she'd be there, her boss said thank you, and hung up.

The Alaskan enforcer sighed. The rest was good while it lasted. Turning off the television, she turned on her portable vacuum cleaner and first swept the bottoms of her feet, and then swept the sofa, floor, coffee table, and anywhere else in the living room where she might have tracked sand in the living room. After taking a quick shower, she got dressed, looking forward to the opportunity of wearing her new silk jogging suit. She went to her computer to check her email for a message with the picture of the subject, and what car she'll be driving, then shut it off and headed toward the door. If she hustled, she should make it to the airport just as the subject's plane lands. Maybe she can end this quick, and join Lin with her assignment later that evening. As an afterthought, she grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote a note, telling the group where she'll be, and that she'll be back soon. Then she trotted out the door to her car.

Brandy Stevens sat in her airplane seat blankly staring out the window as the plane was preparing for a landing. The two-week's vacation back home was supposed to calm her and help give her a new perspective on things. All pretenses of that faded when she saw the city where she now resided and her business that she built. True, she did build the business that she now ran, and it brought in a nice profit. However, since she formed her software company, and made it a success, it had been nothing but a headache. Checking on the day to day operations, keeping the budget straight, making sure the competition doesn't get her, or worse, making sure there's no spies stealing secrets were just a few of the things she had to cope with. When she visited her family back home, she actually slept a good night's sleep for the first time in a long while, no headaches, no ulcers, just sweet, blessed sleep. Now that she's coming back, she's afraid the maladies will begin again. And there was the matter of Donald, her boyfriend. That was a loaded subject of its own.

Before she left, some mysterious businesswoman offered to buy her business for three times what it's worth. That sounded like a juicy offer, but Donald told her she should hold out for even more than that. He claimed that if they want her company that badly, they'd up the ante. Brandy told him that wasn't good business sense, that was being greedy. And so they had another argument (as usual), which led to Donald ranting and openly questioning her rational processes and judgment, to put it in more polite terms. If she was that dumb, Brandy would reply, then how did I start my company? And so it went, back and forth, until the call for her plane came. A friend suggested that Donald might be secretly jealous of Brandy's success, since he had a few failed business attempts of his own, before running the business he currently runs. She didn't know, all she did know was she wanted her life to be a little easier.

The 5'8" blonde with long blonde hair wearing blue jeans, an orange short sleeve blouse and jogging shoes left the airport to her car in the parking lot, and was surprised to see a barefooted woman in a red jogging suit sitting on the hood, legs crossed, kicking her feet back and forth.

"Ms. Stevens, I presume?" The woman on the car said.

"Yes I am," Brandy replied. "May I help you with something?"

"My name is "Icy Hot,' and I represent my employer; you know, the one who offered you a generous amount for your company?" Icy Hot said as she jumped down off the car, and started approaching her.

"Yeah, I remember now, that offer was made before I went on vacation."

Icy Hot at this point had already put one glove on, and prepared to put on the other one. "Yes, well we haven't heard from you in quite a while, so she sent me here for your final answer. Do you want to sell the business or not?"

Brandy, oblivious to what Icy Hot was actually doing, stood still; stroking her chin for a moment, then came to a conclusion. "Sure, why not."

This stopped Icy Hot in her tracks, as she was about to fasten the other glove. "Pardon me?" She said.

"Yes, tell your boss that I'll sell her the business. She gave me a generous offer, how could I refuse?"

Icy Hot for a moment wasn't sure what to do. Usually she got the more stubborn, defiant to the last individuals that she got to beat into submission. She grabbed her cell phone.

"Just a moment, I need to call my boss, and tell her your decision," she said.

She dialed a number only known to enforcers. It was answered on the second ring.

After her boss answered, Icy Hot said, "Yes, this is Icy Hot. Ms. Stevens decided to sell the business."

It appeared that her boss was surprised as well from the reaction she received. She gave the enforcer a few questions to ask Brandy, and then Icy Hot turned away from the phone to relay them.

"How soon can you make that sale final?" Icy Hot asked.

"I can draw the papers up in the morning, I'm sure," Brandy said.

Icy Hot relayed this to her boss, and then turned from her phone again. "She said to meet at the First Community Bank in town. There will be a lawyer who will have the necessary papers and such for you to sign, and to present you with the check."

Icy Hot was feeling optimistic; she may have a free evening after all. Then she returned to the phone, and her optimism fell flat. She said thank you and hung up.

"Anything else?" Brandy asked.

"She said thank you for the sale, and that until the deal is finalized, I was to stay with you until it's done," Icy Hot said, a slight tone of disappointment in her voice.

"Stay with me? That's rather unusual. Does she do all her business transactions like this?"

"Not usually. I'm here to make sure everything goes . . . smoothly, and that there's no complications."

"Okay, I guess. By the way, are those wouldn't be friends of yours, would they?" Brandy said, pointing to four individuals, two men, two women, who approached them.

Icy Hot sighed, this day was getting worse and worse. Looking at their colors of red and black, she could see they were members of the Rattlers, a local street gang. Although they haven't yet become a major problem, they have become a bit of a nuisance lately, mugging businesspeople. Icy Hot remembered that one of their favorite targets was the airport, preying on those who were returning from business trips.

"Hey chick, chick, I believe you just arrived into our "toll area,'" the first man said, a 5'9" man with a red scarf worn on his head to match the black jeans and boots, red T-shirt, and red and black leather jacket that he wore. It was the general outfit for the gang, though most of the members wore black running shoes. Icy Hot guessed he must be the leader of at least this small group.

"Toll area?" Brandy said.

"Yeah, just give us all you have on you, and maybe we'll let both of you pass. Maybe we'll leave enough for her to buy some shoes," a dark-complexed man said, about the same height as the first man, though a little stockier.

As the gang laughed at the second man's lame joke, Brandy huffed and started to open her purse, hoping giving them enough money will make them go away. Icy Hot put her hand on Brandy's purse, shaking her head, and faced the gang and spoke.

"You four are interrupting a business arrangement between her and the Daughters of Athena. Please leave," Icy Hot said in an authoritative voice. She knew that the DOA's reputation was respected and even feared among street gangs, particularly because many of their number were either former gang members, or because they have been the victims of DOA members. Some DOA branches have gone on a search and destroy mission of street gangs.

The name registered with one of the women, though not in the way that Icy Hot expected.

"You mean that cult of women who hate men and don't wear shoes?" Said the first woman, a 5'5" Hispanic with a medium build, but a little flabby.

"That's partially right; we're an organization, not a cult, we don't hate men, and yes, we don't wear shoes," Icy Hot corrected.

"Oh, I've heard of you now," Brandy said. "I wondered why you were standing around barefooted."

"Ms. Stevens, now is not the time. In any case, we would appreciate it if you would leave now."

Again, more laughter rang out from the gang. The first woman strolled a little closer to the two women.

"I don't think we're going anywhere. You see, I've been hearing that you women were so tough, because you were taught all that karate stuff and lift weights and all that. And Rico," she waved her hand toward the man with the scarf, "he had a cousin that was beat up by one of you girls. It was some audition where he'd get paid if he could beat one of you in combat or some messed up stuff like that. So I've been hoping all along that I'd run into one of you, because I think you're full of it. I bet I could take you. Rico wants some payback for his cousin. The rich lady will make a nice bonus," she said.

Icy Hot knew where this was going. "Ms. Stevens, I need you to get behind me, and move to the other side of your car," she said.

"But can't we just give them what they want?" Brandy asked.

"Ms. Stevens, as long as you're in my care, it is my job to make sure nothing interferes with our business negotiation. Now please do as I say. I can't guarantee your safety if you stand beside me."

More laughter from the gang erupted. ""I can't guarantee your safety,' she mocked. Bertha, show her how much "safety' she's got," the second man, who's name was Toby, said.

Icy Hot went into a karate stance, her expression still as neutral as it was when she met Brandy, while Bertha wore a slight sneer as she advanced on her. Bertha threw a wild right to Icy Hot's jaw that never made it. The enforcer blocked it with her forearm, and delivered a right kick to her jaw. The ball of Icy Hot's foot connected, and sent her flying back a couple of feet, landing her on the hood of a nearby car, where she rolled off, knocked out.

Toby charged at Icy Hot, who threw a left punch to his right ribs. Under normal conditions, the leather jacket would've softened the blow, but to hardened fists that can break boards in two, it didn't offer much protection. That was further evidenced when Toby crumbled to the ground, holding his side.

Icy Hot saw Rico coming after her out of the corner of her eye. She threw a right shin kick to the gang leader. Rico blocked it with his left forearm, but he realized it wasn't as smart a move as he realized when he felt the agonizing pain in his arm. He found himself trying to fend off Icy Hot's advances with his good right arm, but the enforcer was delivering a series of chain punches (continuous vertical punches) that he found hard to avoid. One punch found his nose, a slight jerk out of the way keeping it from being broken. That however left him open to the next punch that broke his cheekbone. Toby blinked his eyes, realizing the punches stopped, only to see an oncoming left heel from a vicious kick head his way. The next thing, or rather the last thing he knew, his head bounced off a car door like a ball off a bumper in a pinball game.

Toby still wasn't anymore of a threat, lying on the ground, holding his bruised, maybe broken ribs, but it didn't deter Icy Hot as she put her left foot on his face and slammed his head down to the ground, while she continually kept her eyes on the fourth and last able-bodied member of the gang, a 5'6" skinny strawberry blonde who just realized that this woman laid waste to her gang mates in as less time as it took to approach them from the other side of the parking lot. Jennifer, the woman's name, saw that to approach this DOA woman may be potential suicide, and the way her eyes were zeroed in on her, she may just come and finish her off just for good measure. So she did the most sensible thing in her mind - she ran.

Icy Hot contemplated chasing her down and finishing her off for just in case she planned to run and call for help, but she remembered she had a prior commitment, and her first responsibility was to keep her in good shape until tomorrow morning's transaction.

"Let's get you home, Ms. Stevens," she said.

"Uh, okay; I'll see you in the morning, then," Brandy said.

"That's not how it works, Ms. Stevens. My boss meant that I was to be by your side until tomorrow's transaction. That means where you go, I go."

"That should be interesting, because I have dinner with my boyfriend later this evening. You don't want to hang around for that, do you?"

Icy Hot answered her question with a neutral glance. "I have my orders, Ms. Stevens," she said.

"Actually, that may not be a bad idea. He may be less apt to argue with me if there's a third party present. So how do we do this, do we ride in my car, do I load my luggage in your car, or what?"

"You'll get in your car and I follow. When we go out for the evening, we'll go in your car. We'll do the same for tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Brandy said. "That was some job you did on those punks a minute ago. If I received regular threats to my life, I'd hire you as a bodyguard. So what was that, karate?"

"Yes, seventh degree black belt. I think I'm due up for eight, but I'm not sure, I don't keep too much track on such things."

"I need to have someone teach me a little of that. So what about these guys?"

"What about them?" Icy Hot said.

"We can't just leave them in the parking lot."

Icy Hot thought for a moment. Actually, she was thinking of doing just that; that woman who fled could get her other gang members to carry them away. But in this case, it would be good to comply with her assignment's wishes.

"Leave an anonymous message with 911. Medical help will come and take care of them," Icy Hot said.

Without another word, they each got in their own car, and drove to Brandy's condominium. After helping Brandy carry her luggage, Icy Hot sat patiently in the living room checking her things in her gym bag that she always carried in the trunk for such emergencies while Brandy changed for dinner. She came out wearing a black pantsuit with an oxford white blouse and flat black heels.

"So, how do I look?" Brandy asked.

"Uh, you look fine, Ms. Stevens," Icy Hot said, a little surprised by the question.

"Okay, as long as you're going to be with me, let's get one thing straight; my name is Brandy. "Ms. Stevens' sounds like my mother, who's been a schoolteacher for years. It also makes me feel old."

"Okay Ms. ' I mean Brandy."

"You may use that formal stuff with everybody else you work with, but I always liked the casual approach. My employees don't address me formally, and that's the way I like it. You ready to go?"

"Yes, uh Brandy, let's go."

They drove to the restaurant where Donald was meeting them. Brandy took the time to tell Icy Hot all about her boyfriend, his accomplishments, and whatever else came to mind on the subject. The only feedback Icy Hot offered was an occasional grunt of agreement to let her know she was listening. After she was finished with the subject of Donald, Brandy asked Icy Hot about herself.

"So tell me Icy Hot," Brandy asked. "Surely "Icy Hot' isn't your real name, is it?"

Icy Hot wasn't prepared for that question; no one had asked her that before. They were usually too concerned about whether they got to keep most of their teeth after she was through or how fast they could escape before she caught them. After thinking for a moment, she gave an answer.

"No, it's not," she said.

"So what is it? Come on, since we're going to be buddy-buddy for the next few hours, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anybody."

"Since this is basically a business transaction, I would rather we keep things on more of a formal basis. It's nothing personal, just business."

"Okay, if that's the way you want it; but you still have to call me "Brandy,' not "Ms. Stevens', got it?" Brandy said, a little disappointed.

"Yes Brandy."

They arrived at the restaurant, which was a nice place that dealt with several varieties of food. Icy Hot noted that she had not yet been to this place, and made a mental note to bring her roommates there the next time if the food was any good. Before they walked in the front door, Brandy stopped short.

"What's wrong?" Icy Hot said.

"Uh, the restaurant, it's one of those "no shoes, no shirt, no service' places. We might have a problem. You don't bring a pair of shoes for "just in case,' do you?" Brandy said.

"No, any shoes I have are in my closet at home, somewhere."

"Oh. Perhaps we can run someplace and get you a cheap pair of flip-flops, and-"

"Brandy, that will not be necessary. We in the DOA have a few tricks to get around little details like that."

Icy Hot bent down and unzipped the cuff on each of her pant legs. The bottoms flared out to cover almost all of the enforcer's feet, except for the tips of her toes, which could be confused with wearing sandals. It was a good thing she chose a taller victim, she mused to herself.

"That's a neat trick. It must be an interesting life, living without shoes," Brandy said.

"Actually it's rather liberating. You realize how much of your life was ruled by shoes when you live barefoot."

When she thought of all the board meetings, special events, and occasions she'd almost been late to because of trying to think of what shoes to wear, Brandy had to agree. That's not even including the times her feet ached from wearing high heels or shoes that were in "fashion."

They were escorted to their table without incident, where a young handsome man sat waiting for them. He had short blonde hair, and wore a light blue polo shirt and blue slacks with blue socks and black loafers. He looked the part of the stereotypical businessman; looking like he would be more at home in a three-piece suit then he would the casual clothes he wore. Donald Potter ran a small consulting firm that had dreams of grandeur. His ultimate goal was to eventually make the Forbes Top 100 list of businesses, or better yet, to own Forbes altogether. He was a man who made a schedule and a plan for everything, even his social life. To this, Brandy was the bane of his existence. The woman's more casual, laid-back style was of great annoyance to him, yet at the same time, he was astounded at how well she built a successful business without outlining everything on her Day-Timer. The attempt of converting her to his ways had not been successful, but at least this recent offer to sell her business might show her the light if she followed his directions.

He rose and greeting Brandy with a kiss on the cheek, then gave her a confused look when he saw Icy Hot give him a nod, then sit down at their table.

"Hello, honey," Donald said. "Who's your friend?" His voice did little to hide a bit of annoyance, considering this was originally planned as a date.

"Hi Donald, this is ' Icy," Brandy said in introduction.

"Hello," Icy Hot said.

"Excuse me, Brandy, but I was under the understanding that dinner was to be between to two of us, no offense, Icy," he said.

"None taken."

A waiter came with menus. The two businesspeople ordered fashionably light meals while Icy Hot ordered a large steak dinner.

"Well many things have occurred in the last couple of hours before we got here," Brandy said.

"Like what?" Donald asked.

Brandy was bracing herself for this, but she knew the fallout would come either way it went, so she went ahead and said it.

"I sold the business," she said.

"What?"

"I sold the business a couple of hours ago."

"To who, and for how much?"

"To the Daughters of Athena for three times the original value. Icy here is to make sure the final transaction goes smoothly. She's to be my "shadow' in the meantime."

"Darling," Donald said with almost gritted teeth, "I thought we've made it clear that we were going to hold out for a bigger offer."

"And I believe I said that was being greedy. I thought that it was a good offer as it was."

"And what do you know about the Daughters of Athena? I heard they're many things from a terrorist organization to a cult. I think from the looks of this lady that they're a group of Asian businessmen trying to buy more companies in this country."

Icy Hot smiled to herself as she said, "Inuit."

"In who what?" Donald said.

"Inuit, that is my nationality. Many have confused it with Native American or Asian, though I believe we have some anthropological connections there. To simply things, we are the people you here in the lower forty-eight states call "Eskimos.'"

"Oh, so one day, you were riding dog sleds, hunting polar bears, and building igloos when these "daughters' recruited you?"

"Donald!" Brandy said.

"That's all right, Brandy," Icy Hot said. "To explain my pedigree, my father owns a fishery while my mother taught high school. She home schooled me until it was time for college. From there, I attended the University of Alaska, Anchorage, where I graduated with all honors and received a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. I do have a few relatives who do "ride dog sleds, hunt polar bears, and build igloos,' and we usually keep in touch with them via email and instant messenger."

"So you know all about computers?" Brandy asked.

"Inside and out," Icy Hot replied as she buttered up her dinner roll.

"Then maybe you could help me with mine. It's as slow as Christmas, and it acts like it wants to go out half the time."

"What brand is it?"

"I think it's an A Machine #220."

"Well that's most of your problem right there. They're very cheaply made, and the power source generally breaks down about almost a year after you buy it. How long have you had it?"

"Now that you mentioned it, I think I got it eleven months ago on sale."

"Then you're about due for a breakdown."

Brandy was slightly alarmed. "Then what brand should I get? I don't want my computer to crash in the middle of performing any important business transactions."

Icy Hot grinned slightly as she finished her roll, and motioned for the waiter to bring her the desert menu. "Brandy, I can build you a computer for much less than the competition, and have it run ten times better." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. "Give me a call after this business deal is settled, and we can talk about a computer that fits your needs."

Donald was growing more annoyed by the minute. "If this "sales pitch' is over, let me inform you of a few things. Just because you're fresh out of college with a brand new degree doesn't mean you know everything, Ms. Hot," he said.

"I don't claim to know everything, but I do know that A Machines are an inferior product, put only on the market to appeal to customers who think they found a deal because they're the lowest priced computers out there."

Brandy smirked. "Donald owns stock in the company," she said.

"Then I would recommend that you sell that stock, Mr. Potter," Icy Hot said as she received her desert, a Belgian waffle covered with blueberry syrup and whipped cream. "Because eventually the public will realize that the computer they bought for a bargain will eventually cost them in repair bills or buying another unit entirely."

"Sell my stock? The company is growing, mainly from the sale of their higher-level computers. I'm not going to sell anything just because you say-so."

Icy Hot just shrugged and continued eating her waffle.

"He gets a little protective on his stock," Brandy said, giggling.

Donald turned on her. "And you, it's not good business to sell your business to the first buyer no matter how much they want to pay for it."

"The price was at three times the-"

"I don't care how much it was! You should've held out for more money," Donald said with a sigh.

"Donald, think about it. Do you know what I can do for that much money? I could buy another company or start another one of my own. A lot of businesspeople have done better on less; think of what I could do with this much capital."

Donald tried to think of a counter-argument, realized he didn't really have one, and then did something he hardly ever did, he conceded. "You're right, honey, that's a good point. Any ideas on what to do after the sale?" He said.

"Not yet, I haven't had the chance to think about it. Maybe I'll leave it in the bank for a while and take a trip while it grows interest."

"I know a couple of business opportunities I could suggest."

"Donald, let's not talk about business right now, why don't we talk about other things, like what have you done while I was gone?"

"Worked on my business," Donald said, matter-of-factly.

Brandy sighed inwardly. So it was going to be one of those nights. "Surely you did something outside of your company that was fun, like maybe seen a couple of games?"

"Well, I did play a few games of racquetball with one of the A-Machine owners the other day."

Brandy looked over at Icy Hot, who had finished her desert, then motioned over to a nearby waiter. "Check please."

When the check came, Icy Hot started to reach into her fanny pack when Brandy stopped her.

"It's on me. Donald, I have yours too. Don't object; by this time tomorrow, I'll be able to afford it," she said, jokingly.

"Hey, now that I think of it, I believe there's a nice movie on TV tonight. Why don't we watch it at my place?" Donald said as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Oh, uh how about we watch it at my place?" Brandy said, glancing at Icy Hot.

"That'll work. I'm looking forward to the highlights of the film."

Geez, Donald, could you be a little more obvious? Brandy thought. If Icy Hot looked disturbed by the lewd remark, she didn't show it.

The three were at Brandy's car, where Donald gave Brandy a peck on the cheek and told her he'll meet her at her place, not even acknowledging Icy Hot's presence. To the DOA enforcer, she figured it'd be no big deal. Just sit through some gushy movie, tolerate the couple while they speak their sweet nothings to each other, spend the night on some lumpy couch, go with Brandy to the bank, make the necessary transaction, then go home and maybe get some real sleep before the next assignment.

But alas, it wasn't to be.

"There they are!" A voice said. "There's the karate chick that broke Rico's arm and busted Toby's ribs! And there's her rich friend too!"

The three turned around and Icy Hot and Brandy saw that it was the lone woman who was left standing at their last encounter, plus four more gang members. Icy Hot sighed. She knew she should've gone after that woman and took care of her before she went to get reinforcements. She must've somehow followed them to the restaurant. An already long evening had gotten even longer. Even worse, while she wouldn't have very much of a problem fighting these punks, she now had two liabilities that slowed her down. Brandy and Donald could possibly do all right for themselves, but in the final analysis, they were regular businesspeople while she was an enforcer, trained for situations like this. She also had to stand by her prime directive, protect Brandy and keep her safe for the transaction tomorrow. That would also include her boyfriend too.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Donald demanded, acting like he was in total control of the situation.

"We have some unfinished business with your lady friends," the first man said. "It turned out the short one pulled some kung-fu stuff on three of our people, and put two of them in the emergency ward. We don't like that."

"They tried to mug us at the airport," Brandy told Donald.

"Why didn't you give them what they wanted?" Donald said.

"That's not how they work," Icy Hot said. "No matter what you'll give them, they'll always want more."

"You sound like you know us," a woman, an inch taller than Jennifer (the one who went for reinforcements), but had more of a heavy-set build.

"I"ve met a few. You can ask some of them; maybe they'll be willing to admit it," the enforcer said as she put her sunglasses on, despite the fact it was evening, and the strong beams of the streetlights provided the only light of day.

"Hey, this woman thinks she's cool, putting on her sunglasses at night," a second woman blurted out, carrying the same size and build as Icy Hot, but not nearly as built.

"No, we're supposed to beat you, then you put your sunglasses on to hide the bruises," the second man said, a big, burly man of 6'1", his bulk more fat than anything, but still looked intimidating to most people.

What Icy Hot was doing by wearing her sunglasses was hiding her eyes as she looked for possible escape routes for her charge. Finally she found one, an old, abandoned building that for some reason wasn't bought and transformed by some company into something profitable. She beckoned the couple behind her, and motioned for them to start backing up, even though they were moving away from Brandy's car.

"How much do you want? I'll write you a check!" Donald said.

"We have a deal for you," Jennifer said. "How about you give us the karate chick, and a check; then we'll call it even."

Donald was starting to consider the possibility, but Brandy said, "No! No deal! Why don't you just leave us alone? You were the ones who started this business!"

"Brandy!" Donald said.

"We started it, and we'll finish it," the second man said.

Icy Hot glanced around again. They were almost to the abandoned building, but the gang was not too far away. Something needed to be done to bide a few seconds of time. Finally she saw it, a half filled garbage can. Without warning, she grabbed it one-handed and threw it at the gang. They all scattered, except for the first man, who ended up wearing it for a hat.

"Follow me!" Icy Hot ordered as she trotted to the building. They encountered a wooden door. Icy Hot looked it over once, and then delivered a right side kick that busted it down. She then beckoned for Donald and Brandy to go inside. Seeing what she done to the door, Donald didn't put up very much of an argument as he went inside then helped Brandy in. Icy Hot jumped in, then seeing a flimsy table, turned it over and blocked the doorway with it. She looked ahead and trotted to another wooden door on the opposite side of the building. Without missing a beat, the enforcer delivered a left side kick that smashed open the rear door. She returned back to Brandy and Donald.

"Hey, you're not wearing any shoes," Donald said.

Icy Hot ignored the comment and said, "Brandy, Mr. Potter, I need you to go out the back door, circle around the long way, then return to your cars and leave. Brandy, I will catch up with you at your place."

"We can't leave you here," Brandy protested. "We'll help you fight them off."

"Brandy!" Donald said, hearing the banging on the door. The makeshift barrier wasn't going to hold long.

"Absolutely not; my job is to ensure your safety until tomorrow. I can't do that if you stay here."

The banging was getting louder.

"She's right honey, we've got to go now!" Donald said.

"But there's so many of them!" Brandy said to Icy Hot. "Surely you don't plan to take them all on."

"It's all right, Brandy, it's what I do. Now go, please!" Icy Hot said.

Brandy looked like she was about to utter one more word of protest, but Donald grasped her arm and steered her toward the back door. He turned around to give Icy Hot a quick nod, and then disappeared with his girlfriend out the smashed door.

In the semidarkness of the small abandoned building, Icy Hot drew a sigh of relief. They were gone, now she could really cut loose. She made a mental note to ask her boss about launching a full-scale assault on the Rattlers. Her and every one of her roommates have encountered the gang at least once or twice, and though every encounter had ended painfully for the street gang, they have started to become like roaches. For every one that was crushed, it seemed like two or three more would take their place.

The standard policy had been to take it easy with them because the large number of women in the gang could be potential recruits of the DOA, but any attempts of recruitment were turned down. Worse, the Rattlers decided to treat them as a rival gang, charging them with trespassing on their "turf," and committing war on the "karate chicks" wherever they could find them. They ended up battered and bruised for their trouble, but the gang have been slow learners.

Well no more, Icy Hot thought to herself as she saw the table almost moved aside. She was tired of fooling with these people. It was time for them to face the full power of a Daughter of Athena. She looked around and found a discarded chair, took off her sunglasses, and then unzipped her jogging suit. Unlike the previous owner, Icy Hot was fully dressed underneath, wearing a black sports bra and black biking shorts. She folded it neatly and placed it on the chair so it wouldn't get dirty, dusty, or bloody in the combat to come. She had just enough time to and put on her gloves as she stood in the middle of the front room and got into a fighting stance as the table was finally pushed aside and the five gang members strolled in.

Idiots, Icy Hot thought. If they pushed the table in the first place, they've would've been here three minutes ago.

"Oh look, it's the karate chick," the first man said as he and the others spread out in front of Icy Hot. "Where's the other two? It doesn't matter, you're the one we want."

Icy Hot said nothing. She just gave a grim smile and beckoned them to her with the movement of the fingers of her outstretched left hand.

Remembering Jennifer's account of what happened to their other comrades, they approached the enforcer cautiously. Finally, the second woman let out a primal scream and charged at Icy Hot, her hands formed into claws. The enforcer gave another slight grin that seemed to say, "You must be kidding." That, and the slight swivel of her hips were the only warning before she fired her right fist in the center of the woman's face.

The second man was circling around Icy Hot in an attempt to attack her from the left side. As he approached, he suddenly felt something hit his jacket sleeve. It was blood. He froze, seeing the source of that blood fall to the ground covering her face, screaming, but only for a split second. A split second that Icy Hot used to deliver a left side kick to his solar plexus. He crumbled to the ground, but not before heaving up what he had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The first man cursed himself for not bringing a weapon. One Rattler was on the ground retching, while the other as far as she knew didn't have a face, or at least it looked that way since all he could see of it was red. He approached Icy Hot in a facsimile of a boxing stance. He thought after throwing a couple of punches (all blocked or parried) that he might be wearing her down, until she launched a spinning right kick that landed directly on his jaw.

The first woman glanced at the first man. He appeared to be out cold, and his face, particularly around the jaw looked like it was disfigured, like something was broken. She looked over at Icy Hot, who wasn't even breathing hard for annihilating her three fellow members. It might not be a bad idea for more reinforcements, she thought, and slowly backed toward the front door. Taking a couple of steps, Icy Hot cut her off from her exit. The woman looked around and saw Jennifer in a corner, frozen with fear.

"Come on, Jennifer, back me up," she said unconvincingly, continuing to back up in another direction, looking for a place of escape. She bumped against a wall, and she turned to find out she was cornered. She quickly looked back to the front, only to see Icy Hot shaking her head and walking towards her.

Brandy and Donald returned to her car with little trouble. The plan was to drop Donald off at his car, then drive quickly back to her place. When Brandy sat behind the wheel, she hesitated.

"Brandy, what are you doing? Let's get to my car so we can get out of here!" Donald said.

"We can't just leave her alone with those punks; we got to do something!" Brandy replied.

"She can take care of herself. You heard what she said, this is what she does."

"So we're going to throw her to the wolves? Is that it?"

"No, I meant, well what do you suggest, we go in there and kick their butts?"

"No, we could call 911 and send the police to take care of them."

"That's fine, but let's get to my car first and you can call them when you get on the road, okay?"

"All right."

The first woman laid at the bottom of the wall in a pool of her own blood; her attempts to escape only resulted in her becoming a punching bag for Icy Hot's punches and kicks. That left only one person. Icy Hot turned to see Jennifer, who had now inched her way toward the front door. Jennifer figured all she had to do was to turn and run for safety; getting reinforcements only resulted in sending more Rattlers in the hospital. The smart thing to do now was to leave and call an ambulance. Her heart leaped when she saw Icy Hot walking toward her, readjusting her gloves.

"Not this time," Icy Hot said as she approached her.

Having a sickening feeling what that meant, Jennifer turned and ran for her life, out the remains of the door and to a safe haven. Icy Hot trotted after her.

"What are you doing?" Donald demanded, as Brandy steered her car in the opposite direction of where Donald's car was parked.

"I'm not standing around and doing nothing," she said. "She saved me from being mugged from these people, and I'm not going to let her stay in danger just because of me."

"Just because of you? Are you saying it's your fault now that they're after us?"

"No, she stayed behind to protect me, because I'm the one who she was assigned to watch over for the business deal tomorrow. I don't know about you, but where I come from, that means something to me."

"I hope they don't hurt us too bad," Donald sighed.

Icy Hot hummed to herself as she walked back to the abandoned building, her left hand full of Jennifer's hair as she dragged the pleading woman back for her appropriate punishment. She had to give her some credit, she thought; she was the only one who gave her any decent amount of exercise with a brief run across the street until the enforcer overtook her. For a frightened woman, she didn't run very fast, or maybe it was the fact that Icy Hot cut her off in the direction of her gang's headquarters. Either way, they were going to have a little discussion about some facts of life. Well, maybe not a discussion, since it was going to be one-sided.

"Why won't you let me call 911?"

"Come on Donald, be serious; by the time they get here, it may be too late. She'd be better off with us driving her to the hospital. If those policemen were doing their job, gangs like that wouldn't be on the street," Brandy said. "That's our tax dollars being wasted."

Donald knew he was beat here. She knew how determined Brandy could be at times, and he was a prisoner in her car for all intents and purposes. He was trying to think of some ways he could talk, negotiate, or bribe his way out of the situation when he saw two figures coming out of the building for a moment before one figure grabbed the other by the hair and dragged the other one back in. That one figure chasing the other looked like the woman they're rescuing, but in the dark, how could they be sure?

"Did you see that?" He asked.

"Yes that woman grabbed Icy and pulled her back in the building!" Brandy said.

"It looked more like the other way around to me, but it is dark out here; there could be more of them."

"All the more reason for us to hurry up and get there," she said as she floored the accelerator.

Donald moaned.

That was over too quick, Icy Hot thought as she pulled Jennifer up by the lapel and looked over her handiwork. She noticed earlier during the fight that she didn't use any open hand blows, nor any elbow or knee blows. She even decided to give the woman an advantage by throwing her a small wooden beam to defend herself. She was pathetic. The only thing she almost did right was escape, which Icy Hot cut short by grabbing her hair again. From the look of her face, and the way she held herself after each chop or knee blow, she wasn't going to run for help anytime soon. Remembering the dual hand chops she delivered to each leg, she wasn't going to walk anywhere real soon. At least the woman could be happy she didn't break the legs.

Icy Hot dropped the body and walked over to her chair where her jogging suit was laid. As she put it on, she thought see saw some car lights headed this direction when she yanked Jennifer back in the building for the second time. It could be more Rattlers, but she doubted it; chances are it was probably Brandy driving by to offer some type of assistance. Icy Hot thought she was a nice woman, but she sensed that she probably had a stubborn streak when it came to doing something. Guess that explained how she made her soon to be former business as successful as it was.

She walked out of the building as a car came by, and as Icy Hot guessed, it was Brandy, with a hapless Donald in the passenger seat. Brandy jumped out of the car and hugged Icy Hot in an embrace that even surprised the enforcer with its strength.

"Icy, you made it!" Brandy said while Donald peered into the broken door of the building and flinched when he saw the wounded bodies of their former attackers. "I was worried!"

"Er, thank you," Icy Hot said, not knowing what else to say.

"What about the others?" Brandy said, pointing in the general direction of the building.

"What about them?" Donald said in agreement to Icy Hot's quiet sentiment. "Could we get to my car please?"

The three soon arrived at Brandy's place. Because of the excitement they've just had shortly before, the couple decided not to see any movies that night. Icy Hot grabbed her overnight bag and made herself at home, while Brandy and Donald went to her bedroom. Remembering that Brandy said she had some computer problems, she took out a zippered pouch with some computer tools and started examining the unit. Yep, it's the power source. Well, with her newfound wealth tomorrow, she could buy a top of the line computer, or better yet, one of her creations, Icy Hot thought. As she was placing the cover back on the computer, she heard loud voices coming from Brandy's bedroom.

"Come on, let's do it, you know you want to," Donald's voice said.

"I want to? A street gang chased us down, and you think I have that on my mind? If that's the case, you don't know me at all!" Brandy's voice said.

"Well you know they say it's a great reliever for stress, baby."

"Donald, our lives were in danger, and the last thing on my mind is that, stress reliever or not."

"How long are you going to keep pushing me away, huh?"

"I think you're doing a good job doing that yourself."

"We've been together how long now, and you still don't want to take that step of sharing our love?"

"I know how long we've been together, and I'm not ready for that, unless you have a ring and a date in mind. Besides, I don't think this is about us, it's about you, and it always seems to be about you. I couldn't even sell my business without seeing how it made you feel."

Donald drew his right hand back like he was planning to deliver a slap. "How dare you say that about me, you -"

Donald suddenly found out he couldn't move his hand. He turned back and saw that Icy Hot was holding it.

"As long as I am here, I am to look out for my client's safety from all types of harm, from anyone," she said neutrally.

Donald glared at Icy Hot, who returned his gaze with her standard neutral expression, and then glared at Brandy, before storming out of the room and the condominium, slamming the door behind him. Without another word, Icy Hot turned and returned to the living room to prepare for the next morning.

Back down to her sports bra and bikers shorts, the enforcer had taken out her spare clothing for the next morning, which consisted of her choices of a red sports bra and blue running shorts, and a powder blue tank top and blue jeans. She sighed; maybe she could get away with wearing her jogging suit again, if it didn't get too dusty from tonight. She turned to where it was laying and was surprised to see it was missing. Looking around, she saw that Brandy was holding it in her arms looking at her.

"I'm sure these things are nice and sweaty after what you've been through tonight," she said. "I'll throw these in the washer so you can wear it in the morning. You don't look too excited to wear your other clothes tomorrow."

"Thank you," Icy Hot said. She thought Brandy would leave, but instead, she still stood there holding the outfit.

"I wanted to thank you for protecting us from those thugs tonight, and - from what just happened or was going to happen a few minutes ago."

"It's no problem. Just doing my job."

"He's hit me before, you know."

"Pardon?"

"Donald, he's hit me before, over the same topic too. I guess he thinks since we're going together, he's entitled to being intimate whenever he wants. He thinks we're - awkward, because we haven't done it yet." Brandy tried to say more, but she froze, unable to think of what to say next.

"Brandy," Icy Hot began, "I don't claim to be an expert on relationships, but I do know if violence is involved where there should be closeness, that can't be right."

Brandy stood there, pondering what Icy Hot said. "You're right." She then grabbed a phone off the end table of the sofa, and then dialed Donald's cell phone number. He picked it up on the first ring.

"Hello?" Donald said.

"Hello," Brandy began.

"Look baby, I'm sorry for what just happened. Tell you what, after you get business taken care of tomorrow, why don't you drop by my office, and we can have a great lunch at that Greek diner in town. For that matter, I'll just take the day off and-"

"I'm sorry Donald, but there will be no more lunches for us, or anything else. What Icy Hot said made sense; there shouldn't be violence where there should be closeness."

"What's this, that Eskimo is dictating our relationship now? Who does she think she is?"

"In this case, she's right. Have a nice life, Donald."

"Wait, baby, we could work out something-"

"Goodbye, Donald," Brandy said, and hung up.

Icy Hot sat there a little stunned. She offered her two cents; she wasn't expecting her to break up with her boyfriend over it.

"I thought about what you've said to that effect for a long time, but I guess I was too afraid to go through with it," Brandy said.

Icy Hot sat there with nothing to say, looking aimlessly at her blue jeans.

"You're welcome to sleep in my bedroom tonight," Brandy continued. "The bed is a lot more comfortable than that sofa. Believe me, I know."

"Ah, Brandy, you're a nice person and all, but I don't do, that-"

"No silly, I mean my spare bedroom! I'm just trying to save you from getting a kink in your back in the morning."

"Oh. Well, then, I'll just move my things then. Thank you again," Icy Hot said awkwardly, feeling a little silly for jumping to conclusions. As she moved her items, Brandy blocked her way to the hallway.

"What's wrong?" Icy Hot asked.

"I know when your parents had you, they didn't say, "oh, she's a lovely baby, let's name her "Icy Hot.' After all we've been through tonight, I think the least you can do is to give me your real name."

Icy Hot saw that she wasn't going to take no for an answer, so she told her, "Ayaka."

"Ayaka, what a nice name; so why do they call you Icy Hot? Never mind, I think I can guess. The only time you seemed to show any emotion was when you were trying to get me out of that building," Brandy laughed.

Icy Hot nodded.

"Okay, Ayaka, I'll call you "Icy' in public; don't want to ruin that "public' image. Do you need me to wake you, or do you carry an alarm in that bag too?"

"I'll be okay."

"Very good. Well, I don't know about you, but today has been a little too exciting for me, so I'm going right to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The next morning, Brandy woke up feeling great. Despite the excitement of the night before, she hadn't slept this well except when she visited her family back home. She put on her robe and slippers, and made her way down the hall. She stopped and peeked into the spare bedroom where Icy Hot slept, and was surprised to find it empty. Finally, she walked to the living room where Icy Hot, clad in an old purple tank top, and dark blue boxer shorts was performing a karate kata, throwing punches and kicks at imaginary opponents.

"Good morning," Brandy said.

"Good morning," Icy Hot replied, not missing a beat in her kata.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did. You were right about the bed being comfortable."

"Good." Brandy watched Icy Hot perform more of her kata. "I bet your group had really benefited from your karate skills. They sure come in handy."

Icy Hot shrugged while she threw a punch. "Yes, I suppose."

"You make it sound like it's nothing unusual."

Icy Hot gave two high kicks. "In the DOA, it's mandatory for every member to master a martial art."

"For membership, you have to invest in karate lessons?"

"In the DOA, they're free, plus you have a variety of martial arts to choose from."

"Perhaps I should look into taking lessons."

"Perhaps you should look into joining us."

Brandy laughed. "I don't think I could lose the shoes."

"You'd never miss them."

"Sure. Hey, after you finish your exercises and shower, I'll have breakfast ready for you. Scrambled eggs, sausage and French toast sound good to you?"

"Yes, thanks."

After the two had breakfast, where Icy Hot broke the news to Brandy about her computer, and she needed to transfer her files to a compact disc as soon as possible, they got in the car and drove to the bank. Brandy felt good and relaxed, which was a new sensation for Icy Hot. Normally businessmen and businesswomen are apprehensive and fearful of her, since she was the last step before approaching semi-consciousness. Brandy asked her a number of questions about the DOA and about her involvement in it. The enforcer made a point of lightly skipping around what she did. She figured it might be rather upsetting if she found out she was ordered to beat her to a pulp if she refused to sell. Still, it was nice to talk to someone outside of fellow enforcers and family, or in her case, listen, since Brandy did most of the talking.

They arrived at the bank, where a woman with long blonde hair, and a gray business suit consisting of a jacket, skirt, and white blouse with tanned legs and low heel black mules was waiting for them.

"Good morning, Ayaka," the woman said, calling the enforcer by her real name. "And you must be Ms. Stevens."

"Call me Brandy," the businesswoman said. "And you are?"

"I'm Patricia Johnson, but you can call me Pat. I'm a lawyer representing the DOA, and to assist in the actual sale of your company. I arranged a private room for the three of us. If you'll follow me."

Brandy noticed that this lawyer was as well built as her companion, seeing her broad shoulders and muscular legs as they walked to the room. She elbowed a surprised Icy Hot.

"How come she called you by your real name right away, while I had to drag it out of you?" She said.

"I revert to my real name during a standard business setting," Icy Hot said.

"And yesterday when you first met me wasn't a "standard business setting?'"

"Well uh, not exactly."

"Really? And is weight training is requirement for you ladies?"

"Yes it is."

"This group gets more interesting the more I hear about it."

They entered the room and sat at a table, where Brandy signed the customary papers, and endured the usual legal jargon that takes place in such dealings. Finally, Pat shook Brandy's hand and handed her a check, which had a little extra in addition to the mentioned amount. Brandy immediately put it in her account and pondered how she was going to tell her employees that they had a new boss.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Brandy," Pat said.

"Same here. See you around, Pat," Brandy said. As Pat walked to her car, she turned to Icy Hot and asked her, "So how come she's wearing shoes?"

Icy Hot smirked and said, "Watch."

About five steps outside the bank building, Pat slipped out of both shoes, shoved them in her purse, and walked the remaining steps to her car barefooted, ignoring the hardness of the sidewalk and pavement. Brandy turned back to Icy Hot, and thought she detected a grin on her face, before she reverted to her normal expression, but she wasn't sure.

"Never mind," Brandy sighed.

They returned to Brandy's condo, where she called her former business to tell them that she will be making a special announcement to everyone there around lunchtime. Icy Hot packed her overnight bag and lugged it out to her car. When she returned, Brandy was waiting for her at the front door.

"You weren't planning to leave without saying goodbye, were you?" Brandy asked.

"No, I was going to make sure you still had my business card regarding building you a new computer," Icy Hot said, handing her another card.

Brandy took the card, then took one of her own business cards, marked out the now-defunct business phone number with a pen, and replaced it with her home and cell phone numbers.

"Ayaka, you look to me like a person who's in serious need of fun," she said, handing her the card. "Give me a call, or I'll call you, and we can have lunch, see a movie, or even go shopping. In your case, I'll promise to avoid the shoe stores. Anyway, let's keep in touch, okay? Besides, since I'm now independently wealthy, I need to find something to do."

"Thanks Brandy, I'll do that."

"Well, I need to get ready to go to my old place and tell everybody goodbye, and I'm sure you have things to do, so I'll see you later, okay?"

Icy Hot put out her hand, expecting a handshake, but instead, Brandy grabbed her and gave her another hug. Icy Hot decided why not, and returned the favor.

After they separated, Brandy said, "Maybe if I ever feel like burning my high heels, I'll consider joining your group."

To Brandy's delight, Icy Hot actually smiled, flashing white teeth.

"You won't even miss them," she said.

Brandy went into her condo as Icy Hot walked to her car. Maybe I'll give her a call later this week, the enforcer thought to herself. It would be nice to go out and do something that's not work related. Being lost in thought, she almost didn't see the sudden movement in the reflection of her car window. She turned her body just enough for the rabbit punch to hit her in the right shoulder instead of the back of the head as intended. Not missing a beat, she turned to face her attacker in a fight stance.

"You, you're responsible for all this," Donald said, fists clenched and breathing heavily like a bull facing a bullfighter. "First you interfere with my date after she came back from vacation, then you have us chased by a street gang, and then you break us up."

Regaining her composure, the enforcer said evenly, "My presence at the restaurant was part of a condition dictated by my boss. The Rattlers first confronted us at the airport, demanding money from Brandy, and I only offered my opinion about last night's situation; breaking up with you was her idea."

"Blah, blah, blah, cry me a river. I suppose you're her new bodyguard now, her "shadow' to follow her everywhere she goes?"

"No, my assignment with Brandy, er, Ms. Stevens ended after the transaction was finished this morning. Those were the limits of our agreement."

"The "limits of our agreement,' ha!" Donald mocked with scorn. "Well you violated my and Brandy's "agreement,' so I'm going to take it out of your hide."

Icy Hot sighed; there was no reasoning with this fool. He forgot to take into account the very reason he was safe now was because he was with Brandy, who was in her care. That agreement was now over, so she was under no more obligations to protect Brandy's interests. Then again, since she broke up with him last night, Donald was no longer one of Brandy's interests. That does change things. As Donald continued to fuss at her, he occasionally waved his arms up and down. Something on his left wrist caught her attention. Was that a Rolex? Yes it was! The silver and gold colors of the watch would go great with the silk jogging suit she was wearing. That would make a nice trophy.

"-So I'm going to show you what happens when you mess with another man's woman!" Donald finished ranting. Icy Hot was going into her jacket pockets and putting on her gloves. As she put them on, followed by her sunglasses, she looked straight at him in her usual neutral look. A realization of second thoughts made Donald think that maybe he picked the wrong woman to harass, remembering what she did to those Rattlers in the abandoned building last night. He tried backing up, but Icy Hot advanced a few steps forward. He bumped against a telephone pole and found he was trapped.

"Watching over Brandy and protecting her and her business interests, that was just business. This is personal," she said as she threw a right punch to Donald's head.

Later that morning, Icy Hot arrived back at her apartment. All her roommates were there, all of them were playing a round of poker, except for Pattie, who was lounging on the sofa in a light blue nightshirt and black jogging pants reading a book. All of them were wearing what they normally wore to bed pajamas, sweat clothes and the like, which meant they at least had the morning off. Naomi was the first to see her arrive.

"Hey Icy, we noticed you didn't come back last night; we were going to send a search party after you," she said.

"We wondered if the Rattlers got lucky and "bit' you," Dana said. "But I've been looking for an excuse to hunt them down for a while now."

"No, nothing like that," Icy Hot said. "I did encounter them twice, but those individuals won't be causing any trouble soon. As a matter of fact, I'm going to talk to the boss about eradicating them once and for all."

"I'm with you on that one," Lin said. "The raid last night went great, you've should've been there."

"Come to think of it, where were you?" Pattie asked, placing a bookmarker in her book.

"That woman who owned that software company agreed to sell as soon as I asked her. The boss said to stick around with her until the sale was finalized this morning," Icy Hot said.

"She wasn't too much of a problem, was she?" Naomi said.

"Oh, not at all. She was a very gracious host; she even appeared to be interested in our group."

Pattie looked at something shiny on Icy Hot's arm. "Hey, is that a Rolex?"

Icy Hot looked at the watch and smiled, "Yeah, it was a little trophy I picked up . . ."

For comments, suggestions, or story ideas, e-mail shrewsberry@juno.com.