Author's Note: Content warning for moderate adult content, intimate dysfunction and mild sexual humiliation. Also, in this chapter some characters are mocked for their career path. Please understand that this is solely for literary purposes and that opinions expressed by characters in this story are not necessarily those of the author. The author is not putting down anyone's career path; especially considering said author has worked both security and janitorial jobs.

This chapter is somewhat WAM-lite as well.

Note: Rufus and Felicia are Kiwimayotte's characters, used with permission.

*****

"Curse it, I can't afford to lose this job!" Rufus cried in absolute frustration, pounding the desk in his office so hard with both fists that the monitors wobbled on their bases. Moments before he had been basking in the afterglow of what had been by far the best night of his life, but with the recent discovery of the purloined tape it had quickly devolved into a feverish nightmare he had never seen coming.

"You told me once that the doors are alarmed at night and there are motion sensors in place, right? So who could have possibly swiped the tape?" Standing beside him biting her lip in concern, Cheyenne peered at the various screens before them, seeing no trace of activity from the mysterious intruder in any region of the expansive building that housed the studio.

"That's the problem," her partner fretted. "I'm always the last one out of here, and while I'm charged with locking the place up for the night, I can only set the system up once and then I have exactly five minutes to vacate the building or I'll trip the alarms myself." He ran a hand through his hair, still damp from the recent shower he'd taken. "That meant I had to delay setting the alarms tonight since we were both staying late for our little, um, private session. I was planning on doing it now, then we could have hustled on out of here before anyone was the wiser."

"Got it," sighed Cheyenne, already feeling overwhelmed. "But we're keeping this relationship on the down-low, so nobody even knew we were dating, let alone that we plotted that stunt using the game show set. You didn't tell anyone about it, did you?"

"Of course not!" Rufus insisted, shaking his head vehemently, as he had a myriad of reasons for insisting from the beginning that they not flaunt their romance. Once he had shown up to work the morning after their first passionate encounter with visible love bites across his neck and chest that he couldn't have hoped to hide, as well as an indomitable smile plastered to his face that had lasted his entire shift, rumors had started flying about his possible love interest. While he had at first greatly enjoyed leaving his coworkers guessing, he had soon come to realize that if he and Cheyenne actually revealed their relationship status, she would no doubt be given a hard time. He was still paying the price for his poor decisions and ill behavior in the past, receiving condemning looks when he passed others in the hallway and eating lunch alone in his office rather than using the company cafeteria, and he didn't want her to suffer the same just for associating with him.

"Oh, no." Cheyenne's mind flashed back to the moment he had approached her immediately after her last shift had ended, slyly winking and advising her to slip into something more comfortable. Retrieving the sundress she had kept stashed in her work locker, she had elatedly ducked into the nearest restroom to change, even taking the time to apply some light makeup though it was rarely part of her usual routine.

Her upgraded appearance had not gone unnoticed as she'd feigned preparing to leave the building, even carrying her purse as if she had every intention of walking straight home, but unbeknownst to her, the entire contingent of show contestants had also stayed late even after she had seen to tidying up their dressing rooms, apparently to attend some type of debriefing meeting concerning the following day's filming.

"Well, don't you look nice!" one of the girls had complimented her, sounding quite genuine as she had passed by with her group of friends. "What's the big occasion?" Cheyenne had stammered something about going out with a friend after-hours, and they had wished her a good time. At the moment it had seemed like a perfectly innocent encounter, but now the cordial conversation had taken on darker connotations.

"Somebody from that group knew exactly who my 'friend' was and guessed where I was going, but I have no idea who; I don't even know all the contestants' names since they're always bringing in new ones," she admitted after she had related the story to Rufus.

*****

"It's really ironic," Rufus said bitterly, clutching Cheyenne to his chest. He stared up at the ceiling in the sweltering heat of his apartment where they had both retreated for the night, for mutual comfort. "I got demoted from my first job at the factory two years ago because I blew it and got suckered into letting some...well, former friends into the place. Strangely enough, some of them are among the contestants on Nemesis, but I'm not naming names. They used the opportunity to pull off some kinky and messy stuff after dark and got caught, though not by me. My reliability as a guard was pretty much shot after that, but I at least managed to plead my way into moonlighting at the studio. Now here I am, about to lose my second job because someone no doubt caught me doing pretty much the same thing." He was at least heartened by a reassuring squeeze from Cheyenne, who lay curled against him clad in only a sports bra and boyshorts, thanks to the stifling temperature in the apartment.

"It was my ex who convinced me to look the other way for a while that night at the factory," Rufus continued, unbidden. "We had a great thing, years ago, and I never really got over her...I mean, until you and I got together," he corrected himself. His voice cracked slightly before he continued. "Felicia really changed after we split up, and not for the better. You'll hate me for this, but she promised me that...things would happen if I went along with her plan, and go ahead and call me a dreamer, but I hoped that if those things happened between us she might have actually wanted to get back together." Relieved that Cheyenne raised no protest, he ran a hand through her hair, which had nearly dried. "Of course, in typical fashion she failed to make good on her end of the deal, though that turned out to be a good thing in the long run, right? Still, it left me feeling like a love-sick fool." In frustration he draped his arm over his face, covering his eyes.

"'S'okay, and I could never think less of you," Cheyenne finally spoke, smoothing a hand over his chest. "That all happened long before I met you. I was engaged myself, for that matter, but I didn't know him half so well as I thought I did. We had a good thing going for a while, but I guess it wasn't good enough for him." In the darkness, Rufus felt her shoulders pull up into a shrug. "He broke it off really gently before we'd even started to make real wedding plans or pay for anything, and then he was dating someone else a month later. I still don't 'get it,' but I don't hate him for it, either.

But enough about me and my failed relationships," she said. "If you don't mind my asking, what on Earth made her give up a great guy like you?" Beside her, Rufus groaned.

"If you don't mind my answering in kind, she was -- and is -- drop-dead gorgeous. I'd take her out on a date and guys would literally walk into walls turning back to look at her." He chuckled, relieved when Cheyenne responded with a ripple of laughter as well. "No, that actually happened, several times. I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world because she wasn't just a looker, she was genuinely fun to be with as well." He swallowed hard. "Once she began to enjoy the attention she got from much more eligible guys, I guess I started looking less and less impressive and she must have asked herself what she was even doing with a guy like me. Then for a long time, she acted like she detested me for even having been a part of her past, at least until she needed me for a favor."

Punctuating his sad story with another chuckle, he added, "hey, but I got my own back on her, at least for a moment. While she was in university, she took part in a charity sporting event that involved a gunge forfeit for the losers. One of the organizers of the football game must have been aware of my situation and felt pity over it, because she picked me out of the crowd once Felicia's team lost and let me initiate the gunging with the first bucket over her head. At the time, I wasn't even doing it to be mean, it was just harmless fun that she'd agreed to in the first place, and I respected her for agreeing to take a risk getting gunged for charity."

"You gunged someone before? Aww, so I wasn't your 'first' after all," Cheyenne pretended to whine before swinging a leg over his body, pulling herself on top of him. Although their situation had never been so dire, exchanging so much honesty had left her wondering if maybe they were ready to take things further after all, and maybe comfort each other in the process. They could face the nightmare involving the stolen tape in the morning.

"So what kind of 'things' did she promise you, anyway?" she asked, her voice growing husky as he pulled her close. "And would you accept payment from a third party?"

*****

"I'm so sorry," Rufus said in resignation about twenty minutes later as they rested in an exhausted embrace, disappointment and frustration welling up in his voice. "I guess my heart's just not into it tonight. Maybe we're better off waiting until this whole thing gets resolved and then trying it again." If you even want to be with me by that point. In misery he disentangled himelf from his partner, scarcely believing his terrible luck. Just when Cheyenne had finally become comfortable enough to be willing to be intimate with him, he ironically had been completely unable to lose himself in the moment, let alone able to get into the mood, and their attempt could not have failed worse.

"Naw, it was my fault, too. That was ill-timed and I don't know what I was thinking." Beside him in the gloom, Cheyenne was dwelling over dark thoughts of her own. Just hours before, she and Rufus had light-heartedly joked about never becoming lovers unless they could stop laughing long enough to go through with it, which made the absolute overhanging sense of dread that had foiled their attempt all the more ironic.

*****

"I know you're in on this. All I want is the tape and I'll leave without another word," Cheyenne seethed a few hours later. "You've had your fun, now it's time to leave the poor guy alone." Slipping out unnoticed after Rufus had fallen into a restless sleep, she had left on a mission, coming to realize that if one of the studio contestants had been behind the theft, it was unlikely she had acted alone. Someone had masterminded the whole operation, and it didn't take long to imagine who.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" In the foyer of her luxurious apartment suite, Felicia folded her arms across her chest and shot a smug look toward her late-night visitor, whom she'd permitted inside against her better judgement. The other woman's hair was tangled and flyaway and she wore some type of work uniform that suggested she probably worked a manual-labor job, but Felicia was fairly certain she had never encountered her before. They doubtlessly lived in completely different social circles.

"Probably not, but you do know Rufus." At the mention of her ex's name, Felicia could scarcely contain her surprise and amusement.

"You're dating him?" she asked incredulously, her face lighting up with malicious delight. "Let alone you made a...sex tape?" she sneered. "I pity you for that one; I can't imagine it was very enjoyable. Doofus -- I mean, Rufus -- was such a sloppy kisser I could never begin to bring myself to go any further with him. And even if I had, it's not like I'd want to save that on film for posterity." She rubbed her arms, giving an exaggerated shudder of disgust.

"Then you probably didn't have much fun watching the tape, either," Cheyenne quipped, trying to contain her hostility and failing. "So how about I'll just take it off your hands and--" She was cut off, left with little choice but to listen lest Felicia grow impatient and order her out of her home.

"That's a whole new level of stupid, to work in security and have your sex tape stolen right out from under your nose." Felicia put up a hand to her mouth, suppressing a giggle. "Then again, he never was exactly the picture of competence. It's just unfortunate that soon everyone will see you both in the nude together, but lesson learned, next time you sleep with him, don't record it." Expecting her visitor to take on a hurt expression, she was perplexed to see Cheyenne looking thoughtful instead.

"Who said anything about nudity or that it was a sex tape?" she said with a smirk. "I can tell you don't have any idea what kind of tape I'm talking about, and I guess I owe you an apology for storming in here accusing you. We're just spinning our wheels and neither of us has anything against each other, or at least we shouldn't. You dated him years ago and it ended; nothing to be mad about there.

So I'm sorry I burst in here," Cheyenne continued, glancing down at the marble tiles making up the floor beneath her worn tennis shoes. "But before I go, there's one thing I still need to say. You do realize that when you asked Rufus to let your friends sneak into his workplace, that basically derailed his entire career? He wanted to springboard from security work to serving on the police force, but with that kind of stain on his performance record, that's looking unlikely. Kinda a harsh deal to face when you're twenty, but hey." She scrutinized Felicia's reaction, searching for any hint of sympathy. "You know he agreed to it because he still loved you, right?"

"Of course, and that's what made him even more of a pathetic pushover. Anyone who can be that easily manipulated really has no place working in security, let alone law enforcement. But at any rate, I'm beyond trying to bribe him seeing as he has nothing left to offer me, so no worries about that." She narrowed her eyes cunningly. "I see he's gravitated to his 'type,' someone who's a bit of a scruffy alley-cat like he wound up to be, so who would I be to intrude on your happiness?"

"Wow," remarked Cheyenne, stunned at the assessment of her character. "And this is coming from someone who offered to trade sex for a few favors. Who's calling who 'scruffy,' again?

I'm done here, so have a nice night." She turned confidently on her heel and walked swiftly to the foyer, eager to put the entire incident behind her. "I'll see myself out, thanks!" Slamming the door so hard the crystals in the chandelier overhead were left swaying, Cheyenne cut directly across the lush grass of the front lawn, deliberately avoiding the long, sweeping driveway.

"Do come again, dear," Felicia taunted with false hospitality after opening the door, then glanced back at the clock hanging in the hallway. She had perfectly stalled for time...

*****

Cheyenne pressed on, her hands curled in fists and her mind swirling with angry thoughts, both at her own mistake for believing Felicia had been involved in the tape theft and over her icy mistreatment. The lush expanse of green around her, obviously maintained regularly by a professional crew, was nonetheless marred with several large, bare areas that had been reseeded and covered over with straw.

Suddenly aware of a clatter around her, she looked down by her feet to discover dozens of metallic disks rising up mechanically through the grass, interspersed in a grid pattern across the lawn. Oh, no... Before she could so much as begin to react, the sprinklerheads began dispensing their generous sprays of water, blasting over her uniform blouse and slacks until they were slick and thoroughly drenched. Crying out in annoyance at her predicament, she swiped her soaked hair out of her face where the strong force of the water had sent it flying, then looked around in confusion, trying to see through the jets of water that were still assailing her. She took off at a sprint toward the gated front entrance, only to stumble over a sprinklerhead, and, failing to catch herself, pitching headlong into one of the bare expanses of dirt, landing facedown in the sloppy mud.

Strolling down the driveway, Felicia was laughing nearly too hard to walk, and her merriment only increased when Cheyenne tried to extract herself from the improvised mud pit, only to fall on her backside in the slop. She eventually succeeded, trudging more cautiously through the sprinklers until she noticed her aggressor, and then, posing a defiant figure despite her predicament, she stood in the midst of the spray, both hands raised in obscene gestures directed Felicia's way.

Okay, if you're fine with making things harder on yourself... Fumbling for the key fob she kept in her pocket, Felicia pressed a button and enjoyed seeing Cheyenne's eyes widen in shock as the heavy iron gate swung shut before her, blocking her only exit from the property.

"Here, this will go nicely with the tape," Felicia taunted, startling the other girl with the sudden flash of a cell phone camera. Her long strands of hair intertangled with clumps of mud and landscaping straw, her clothes clinging tightly to her frame and equally tainted by mud, straw and grass seed, Cheyenne presented quite a pitiful picture. "I could send a copy to Rufus if you think it would turn him on," Felicia offered unhelpfully.

"Maybe it would, so be my guest." Cheyenne shrugged, her hands on her hips. "And I'll have you know it just so happens I can climb fences. We 'alley cats' are naturally good at that." Felicia watched in amusement as she did just that, hoisting herself up onto the metal bars, her slacks clinging so tightly to her body that her panty lines were clearly visible through the fabric.

"It's been lovely, but I bid you a good night." Perched atop the fence an easy eight feet off the ground, Cheyenne gave an exaggerated wave before leaping down, only to meet with disaster once again. The back of her uniform blouse caught on one of the bars of the fence, and for the briefest moment in time she found herself suspended before physics took over and she fell right through the garment, her arms forced over her head as she dropped to the ground rather painfully. Cursing a blue streak, she looked up ruefully at her shirt, stretched but otherwise intact and hanging from the fence like a flag to commemorate her clumsiness.

"Nice training bra." Again, the phone camera flashed, capturing the image of a rather humiliated, muddied and soaked individual scaling the fence once more to retrieve her shirt.

"Feel free to send him that one, too, but c'mon, it's not like Rufus hasn't seen my bra before," Cheyenne said while trying to sound nonchalant and tugging the muddy blouse back over her head. "If it makes you feel any better, I guess you can say you've won and I got what I had coming to me, but at least let him live his own life from now on, alright?" She wrung out her long strands of hair, wisps of straw crunching between her fingers as she did so.

Watching her ex's new girlfriend set off down the street, trailing water and shedding the occasional piece of straw, Felicia's mouth curved into a smile. Cheyenne had foolishly revealed that her stolen tape was not something made in a bedroom at home, and considering the nature of the television studio where Rufus worked, it was hardly difficult to imagine what he must have filmed with her. Grateful she had not severed ties with her old friends who were currently serving as contestants and even stagehands at the studio, she planned to make several calls in the morning.

*****

"Look what the cat dragged in, right?" Cheyenne joked later that night, soaking in the warm bath that Rufus had graciously drawn for her. Seated on the edge of the tub, he shook his head in consternation.

"I woke up when my phone on the nightstand started blowing up with messages...and photos. Promise me you won't try to fight my battles for me again, though," he pleaded, watching his girlfriend scrub mud from her arms.

"Hey, I may have made a mess of things tonight, and no doubt made a new enemy in the process, but this is our battle, remember? The last time I checked, we were both on that tape." Staring down at the brown water floating with pieces of straw and grass blades, Cheyenne dreaded their inevitable return to work in just a few hours.