The Agent's Proposition

“As well you should,” he said, straight-faced. “I hate being harassed, and you should know better.”

Her laugh calmed to a smile, an apologetic one. “I shouldn’t have reacted to your merely pointing out the obvious. I’m just a little sensitive about my shortcomings. From now on, I promise to take whatever advice you have for me.”

“Shortcomings?” he asked, seeing that, despite the smile, she was dead serious about how she saw herself. “Not being a sexpot is no shortcoming, Tess. Mind if I call you Tess?”

“No, but I thought…”

“None of what I said was intended as criticism. You have a natural appeal that’s fantastic.”

She blushed again. “Thanks for saying that, but—”

“But we need blatant, in-your-face sexy, though, to hook this guy, because that’s the type he goes for.”

She looked thoughtful. “And if I can manage that?”

Good. She was on board, being reasonable. “As I said, I want you to find out where he’s based so we can retrieve his computers for evidence later. Flatter him. Get him to show you where he lives. Or maybe just tell you where he lives. In either case, do whatever you need to do to have him go with you on the boat.”

“Whatever I need to do? I’m not having sex with him,” she declared. “That’s out of the question.”

“No,” he agreed, “but you can sort of promise it if that’s what it takes.” Cameron watched her frown. “Can’t you?”

She nodded but shifted uncomfortably in her seat, arms crossed over her breasts, an attitude of self-protection. “I guess so.”

“Nobody expects the ultimate sacrifice, Tess,” he assured her. “I’ll be close by. If he gets too frisky for comfort, you can always deck him and we’ll go to Plan B.”

She granted him a sidewise glare. “But it would be better if I simply wriggled away and played it coy.”

“Exactly. Undercover work requires acting ability. Just consider this a role,” he suggested.

She shook her head. “If this is what it takes, why on earth didn’t Mercier send one of the others? Look at me!” She gave herself an impatient wave and sighed.

Cameron knew instinctively that flattery wouldn’t work with Tess. She would see right through that, so he opted for honesty. “I’m sure he sent you because you’re a solid, no-nonsense agent with good credentials and he figured you’d get the job done.”

She scoffed. “Little did he know…”

Cameron smiled. “Hey, you got me on board, so he was right about that. The next part is to catch the guy, and we’ll do that, too. However, the method of apprehending him is all my idea, not Mercier’s. I do believe it will work, Tess. I know you can do it.”

“Wish I had your confidence,” she replied, but he could see she was a little more willing, considering it possible. She lifted her hands in a small gesture of resignation. “Okay, so I’ll give it my best shot, whatever that’s worth.” She relaxed a little, uncrossed her arms and turned sideways in her seat to face him. “So, fake promise, push-up bra, flashier clothes. What else?”

“Killer heels. A little bling. Clingy dress. Heavy on the makeup. We’ll practice your expressions after the makeover.”

“Sleepy eyes, pouty lips, shoulders back, chest out,” she mused, deepening her voice to a throaty growl.

Cameron grinned when she made an exaggerated pout. “By jove, I think she’s got it!”

“Henry Higgins, you ain’t,” she said with a roll of her eyes and a snort.

Good. She was loosening up at last, giving him a little trust, acknowledging that he had experience in adopting a fake persona to get a job done. Maybe he was underestimating her ability to adapt. “You’ll be great,” he promised.

“And just what will you be doing during my great performance?”

“Bodyguarding. No beautiful, wealthy woman in her right mind would go trolling in Saint-Tropez without protection. You’ll convince him I’m only a hireling. Soon as you get him on board, I’ll hop on to captain your little yacht while you two party. You keep him busy drinking, gambling or whatever while I take us well down the coast. Then we pounce, get the info we need and that’s that.”

“Then what do we do with him?” she asked as she got up and went forward to the small fridge. “And don’t say ‘Toss him over the side.’” She returned with two sodas and handed him one.

“I’ll arrange with your boss to have someone meet us at sea and transport him back to the States. You and I will return to Saint-Tropez, or wherever he’s based, and collect his computer and whatever other evidence we find.” He popped the top on his can and offered her a toast. “Here’s to a faultless bust.”

She clinked his can with hers. “Without incident.”

They fell silent then, each lost in thought. Cameron felt they had a pretty good shot at nabbing this guy and at least delaying the threatened blackout. But what about the stateside conspirator, undoubtedly the brains of the enterprise? If the pip-squeak didn’t give him up, they’d still have the problem, probably sooner than later.

He cast a look over at Tess and saw her worried expression. Was she thinking the same thing, or were her concerns still centered on her ability to seduce? He remembered the kiss and smiled. She had it in her, all right.

Cameron stood and looked down at her. “Hey, you’re not beating yourself up over kissing me, are you?”

She glanced up and shrugged. “Yes, well, I am sorry about that. Really.”

He leaned down and caught her lips with his, his hand clasping her neck as he deepened the kiss. Then, reluctantly, he released her. “There. Now we’re even.”

Tess kept stealing looks at him that next hour. After blowing her mind with that kiss, he had calmly walked up front and rifled through the cabinet for something to eat. Obviously it hadn’t meant anything. To him, anyway.

To her, it meant she was in serious danger of risking the entire mission. How the devil was she supposed to concentrate on what she was hired to do? The man was a walking sex bomb, causing a buzz in her brain and body that seriously interfered with her thought processes.

Why on earth didn’t she react to his touch the way she always had with others? With Brian, she had practically forced herself to respond, to keep from shying away from him. Her ready response to this man actually scared her a little, because it came so naturally.

She watched furtively as he returned to his seat, opened a bag of chips and settled down to work on his computer. Way too cool. No, make that way too hot, she thought with a sigh.

It wasn’t that she had anything against sex, but she truly believed it ought to mean something other than pure gratification. He was making her want that very thing. She felt no better than all those licentious free-love advocates her mom had described. These impulses were something to fight, not embrace. Especially given what she’d been sent to do.

“You ought to get some sleep,” he said as he plinked away on the keys of his laptop and studied the screen.

Yeah, right. Her nerves were tingling like crazy, and her thoughts were all over the place. “I can’t sleep. What are you doing?”

“Reviewing the case notes I saved.”

“Weren’t they classified?” she asked.

“They’re not the official report, just my personal observations. You might want to read through these before you meet him.”

“If you need to go online, my laptop is on satellite.”

“Mine, too, but thanks,” he said, still not looking at her. “We’re flying into Nice, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

“I wonder why he’s based in Tropez, where there’s not much action. Not in the way of gambling, anyway. Nice or Monaco, where the big casinos are, would make more sense.”

She shrugged. “Maybe he’s kicked his habit. It’s been a couple of years.”

“He would need money for it and probably got an advance on this job. Let’s hope so, anyway. He’ll be easier to find if he’s still gambling.”

“So you don’t think his motive is political?”

Cameron smiled and shook his head. “Not a chance. Gaming is his first love, testing his smarts. Maybe he’s an addict, maybe not, but he loves it. He wouldn’t do it online, at least not exclusively, because he also loves the casino scene and the flashy women he meets there. All that takes money, a lot of it.”

“And he knew where to get it.”

“That’s why he’s in this, then and now. You can bet he has a state-of-the-art computer set up somewhere to play with. The hacking is also a game to him, and he thrives on games.”

She toyed with a strand of her hair, twisting it around her finger. “With women, too, you think?”

“Of course. He likes to believe he’s God’s gift to the female gender, handsome, charming and clever as all get out.”

“Is he?” she asked with a worried little frown.

“Pretty much. You’ll see. So don’t underestimate him.”

“Did you?” She actually smiled, a not-so-subtle taunt.

Cameron shrugged. “Maybe, but I’d have had him if I could have gone in alone and caught him before he erased the evidence. He was fast, I’ll give him that. Less than three minutes’ warning as they busted down his door. Before they got to him, his computers were clean as a school library system.”

“They thought you warned him?”

“Yes, well, to be fair, sometimes operatives do get sympathetic feelings for the subjects when they delve that deeply into their lives and see the reasons behind the behavior.”

“You like this guy?” Her look accused.

“I know him. I get why he does it. He’s young, kind of clueless in some respects, and I think he was used, but no, I don’t like him.” Cameron sighed. “He’s a spoiled, selfish brat who resents anyone in authority, and he believes he’s a genius.”

“So you don’t think he’s a hardened terrorist out to destroy a country.”

“Not my call. I reel ’em in. Somebody else guts them.”

She sighed and sat back, patting the armrests with her palms. “Well, he’s a pretty big fish, and I’m not familiar with the fishing gear.”

“Don’t worry. I’m the gear. You’re the bait.” Cameron smiled at the analogy. “Trust me, sweetie, you’ll be the juciest worm on the hook.”

She let it go at that and began studying the notes on his computer. Cameron busied himself working out the details of transforming her. He looked forward to seeing her reactions and instructing her in what to do. She was a lot less predictable than he’d first imagined. His thoughts kept returning to her kiss. And his.

If they ever got to the point of equal involvement, he wondered what would happen next. He knew it would lead to sex if she let it, but what then? It had been a long time since he’d been interested in what then.

The girl was unique, not his type and definitely out of bounds. He knew he’d better keep things on a professional level. There was too much at stake not to do that. A little slap and tickle between temporary partners wasn’t all that unusual, but it was typically only stress relief or just plain fun. Tess was so far above that, he couldn’t even imagine her approving, much less participating. It would have to mean something a whole lot deeper, and he didn’t do deeper. Not after that struggle getting over Brenda.

Resignation replaced his anticipation. Business only, then. No more kissing, one-sided or not. That sure lent a boatload of urgency to the mission. He’d do what he needed to do, get it over with and go home. Forget her and the job. Fish. Drink beer. Shoot the breeze at the bar and fish some more.

Maybe he ought to get to know her better, though. It only made sense to get a firm grasp on who he was working with and how she thought. Right?

He did understand her enough to know she’d expect tit for tat, so he turned to her. “Since we’ve teamed up for this, do you have any questions about me you’d like to ask?”

“Like what?” She looked wary.

“Oh, I dunno.” Cameron leaned on the armrest and cocked his head to one side. “Personal stuff. For instance, how did you get into this business, anyway?”

She smiled. “Okay, how did you get into this business, anyway?”

“Majored in international studies and minored in criminal justice at Georgia. Joined the army and did three years. When I got out, Savannah seemed too small town. I applied to the Company and moved to D.C. How about you? I heard that those special teams are formed by invitation only.”

She looked thoughtful. “They are. I was recruited.”

“Because you had some kind of special talent? I heard that each of your agents is required to have something unique, an edge that would be useful in counterintelligence beyond the obvious skills required.”

“You heard all that, did you?” Her smile was provocative.

“You know how the intel grapevine works. The CIA had a big study going on for years that involved paranormal activities. Rumor has it that didn’t stop when the funding did. So what’s your trick?”

Her gaze met his, and she said nothing for a full minute. Then she answered. “I read people fairly well, that’s all.”

“Minds, that sort of thing?” he asked, pressing her.

“Mostly I pick up visual clues, expressions, body language and so forth.”

“Fascinating. How did you study for that?”

She frowned and looked away. “That’s getting really personal.”

“Hey, working together as closely as we will is personal. Trust is necessary. It pays to know your partner as well as you can.”

“I suppose you have a point. As long as you reciprocate, I guess it won’t matter. After all, we’ll probably never even see one another when the mission’s over. Unless you go to work for us.” She had leaned back against the headrest and spoke as if she were talking to herself. “And if you do, we’ll need to be…acquainted. All right then.”

Cameron realized how hard it must be for her to share information about herself, but she was doing it, anyway, because she thought he was right.

Her voice was totally unemotional. “During my early childhood, I began to acquire the knack for it, mostly out of self-preservation. When my mom crossed her arms over her chest and her lips tightened so much they almost disappeared and her eyes narrowed, that meant Dad had it coming. When he’d pace like a caged tiger, stopping only to throw back his head and grit his teeth, I ran to hide.”

“They were abusive?” he asked, guessing.

“Oh, no, not at all. My parents never struck me or unleashed their anger directly at me, but I watched their arguments from a place of safety. Under the dining-room table was my favorite place. Anyway, that was the beginning of my fascination with physical clues to what people were thinking and planning to do.”

Cameron sighed. “I guess we take inspiration wherever we find it.”

She offered a little lopsided smile to that but still didn’t look at him as she continued. “Later, when I could choose my own books from the library, I studied everything I could find on the subject. Nuances of behavior became things to watch for. So did breathing patterns and variations in facial muscles. By the time I reached high school, I was convinced I’d become an expert.”

“Had all those teachers pegged, did you?”

“Absolutely. Excelled on the debate team, too. Knew when I had ’em on the run. I began to concentrate on eyes in particular and grew amazed at what you could glean from a person’s actual thoughts, some as clear as if they spoke them out loud.”

He felt a little uneasy. Could she read his thoughts? “Can you read me?” he asked, trying to keep his voice light and conversational, afraid she wouldn’t answer truthfully.

She shook her head. “No, so don’t worry. Some is the key word. Very few, in fact, and then only some of the time.”

“I see. Well, every little bit helps on the job, I bet.”

“You’re up,” she said, turning her head to look at him. “And I am a very good lie detector when I switch it on.”

“I’m guessing you just did. What would you like to know?”

“Your parents, are they deceased?”

He laughed and sat back, aping her former position and looking straight ahead at the back of the seat in front of him. “Nope. They’re still kicking around Savannah. Don’t see much of them, though. They weren’t too thrilled with my choice of occupations. Dad wanted me to go into business with him. Mom wanted me to marry and settle down on the next block and give her grandbabies.”

“No wife, no kids, no siblings,” she said. And she knew that because she’d read his record. He wished he had the same advantage.

“Just me, the black sheep who strayed from the fold and is too proud to listen to any more ‘I told you sos’ than I have to. Our family get-togethers are usually brief and real predictable.”

“Same here. My mom and dad grew up in an isolated commune left over from the seventies. Genuine California hippies, protests, free love, drugs, you name it. They ran away from that, all the way across the country, when they were seventeen and expecting me. They thought they’d invented monogamy.”

“Joined the good ol’ establishment, huh?”

She huffed a wry little laugh. “Not exactly. They didn’t know how. I give them an A for effort, though. They had trouble holding down jobs for any length of time but they stayed off dope and were faithful to each other, as far as I know. Home schooling in the commune was hit or miss, so they said, but they did manage to get their GEDs and Dad went to trade school.”

“That’s remarkable, don’t you think?”

“They certainly are remarkable, all right. Don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

“What do they do now?” he asked, astounded that she had opened up to him this way and fearing he’d have to keep doing the same. She had a way about her that made it too easy to share, and before he knew it, she’d learn more about him than anybody else in the world knew.

He felt he’d already told her more than he was comfortable with. But the more he learned about Tess’s life, the more he wanted to know.

“Dad’s an electrician, and Mom works for a florist.”

“I bet they’re proud of you,” Cameron said, feeling proud of her himself for all she had accomplished. He knew she had to have put herself through college.

“I don’t know if they are or not. They don’t get what I’m all about, that’s for sure. My mom calls me a changeling.”

“Stranger in the nest. I guess we have something in common, then. That’s good, don’t you think?”

“It’s a little weird,” she said, nodding. “Do you miss what you used to do?”

“I like what I do now. Work for myself. Stress free. Great location,” he replied, wondering if she realized he hadn’t really answered the question.

She looked at him and smiled knowingly. “Why don’t you take a nap, Cochran? You don’t want to talk anymore.”

Good guess. That’s what that was. Or maybe she was adept at mind reading. There were those rumors about the SEXTANT and COMPASS teams. He’d have to watch himself if he didn’t want her to really know him.

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