“You’re not shutting this down, are you?” she asked.
“You uncovered everything Renard was up to and then some. You hit pay dirt.”
“Follow-on mission,” she said. “Figure out why a frontline Pakistani submarine is outside of the Pakistani Navy’s control and refitting in a Chinese dry dock.”
“The longer we wait,” he said, “the greater the risk that Renard gets away. Don’t forget that we have to bring him to justice when this is all said and done.”
Olivia tapped the nose of a small red teddy bear that Jake had given her. She knew better than to let her emotions dictate her actions, but she was concerned.
“What about Slate?” she asked.
“You know what’s going to happen to him. The Navy will take him to Court Martial, and he’ll probably spend that rest of his life in jail. That’s if he’s lucky.”
She accepted Slate’s fate but didn’t like it.
“You’re not emotional, are you?” Rickets asked.
“No, I’m fine,” she said. “He’ll get what he deserves. I’m just wondering if we’ll be leaving information on the table if we call it off now.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Renard still has connections with Admiral Khan, and I think he’s going to know a lot more about the Hamza, like what mods it received and what its intentions are. Some of it will trickle to Jake, and I can intercept it.”
“You mean ‘Slate’.”
“What did I say?”
“You called him ‘Jake’,” he said.
“Didn’t mean to.”
“He’s a traitor and a murderer. Don’t forget that. But you have a good point. We know where Renard’s going to be, and we can always pressure Taipei to hand him over. I’ll give you another week to work on Slate for more data.”
“Thanks, Gerry. I won’t let you down.”
“You never have. But if you don’t find anything after a week, we move on Slate and Renard, wherever they are. Get moving. The clock’s ticking.”
The next day, Olivia scanned her apartment.
Window shades blocked the setting sun’s rays. Backlit by a corner lamp, the tiny den darkened as Jake’s silhouette swallowed the light. Even if her support team could see into the room, they’d see nothing but shadows.
Two eavesdropping bugs — one embedded into stucco and painted over, the other sewn into the cloth of the couch upon which she lay — offered her reassurance, but she felt alone. Nothing stood between Jake and herself, and she knew his intent was sex.
“You ready?” Jake asked.
“What do you have in mind?” she said.
“You’ll see.”
She felt the couch sink as he curled up beside her. She felt his strength as he pulled her to his chest.
“Hey, where’s the remote?” he asked. “I left it right there. You’re sitting on it.”
“No, I’m not.”
He wiggled and slipped his hand under her leg. He pinched her.
“Hey! Ouch!” she said.
“And voila,” he said and yanked the remote from under her. He pointed it at the television. Images rolled by.
“I always skip the previews,” he said.
“I can hardly wait to see what you got.”
“And here it is.”
Olivia read the credits and watched the opening scene.
“Vin Diesel?” she asked. “Is this your idea of romance?”
“I only promised you a romantic dinner. I mentioned nothing about the movie.”
“Fair enough. It was a nice dinner. I didn’t know you could cook, and not a bad job for using my kitchen.”
“Wasn’t that hard.”
“Lasagna with Caesar salad, pine nuts, and dried tomatoes? I was impressed. I expected runny spaghetti.”
“Hey, I go all out for the women I care for,” he said. “I got Vin Diesel because I thought you might be homesick for some mindless American sex and violence.”
“You are a sweetie,” she said and drew him close.
The movie ended. Olivia swallowed a strawberry and flipped a fondue stick into a bowl of chocolate Jake had melted during the movie. She waited until he went to the bathroom and darted into her bedroom. After closing the door, she reached for the telephone beside her bed.
“You’re doing fine. Everything’s fine,” Robert said.
“He’s expecting sex,” she said. “I’ve given him all the signals.”
“You don’t have to. He’s already eating out of your hand.”
“But I’ve got to play this like it’s real.”
“And if it were real? Would you sleep with him?”
“This is real.”
“You know what I mean.”
“How the hell should I know? I don’t know what my real love life is anymore. I don’t have one.”
She realized she was being unprofessional, but Robert would understand. Director Rickets had chosen Robert, a veteran team leader, because he had seen it all. He had counseled many CIA officers through harm’s way.
“It’s tough coming back after what you went through. It’s your call, but there’s no right answer. Follow your instincts. I’ll support whatever you want.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“I got two bugs in your bedroom and we’re watching you through the television control console. You so much as knock the phone off the hook, I’ll have Tommy and Rick in there in fifteen seconds. No one gets hurt on my watch.”
“I’m going to play this to its end,” she said. “I’m sleeping with him. It’ll sell my cover better if we do this, and…”
Olivia lay back on the bed, placed her palm against her forehead, and sighed.
“And?”
“And if I can’t do an operation like this, my career is over. I need to get this behind me.”
Olivia checked her hands. They had become steady. She unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and opened the bedroom door. Jake looked up and leered. She leaned against the doorway and flicked her hair behind her ear.
“You ready for your fifth course?”
He appeared before her. His strength drew her in. She tasted the warmth of his mouth.
Within minutes, she was naked with a man for the first time since her incident. Emotions overcame her — too many to grasp — but she held the ones that reminded her who she was. She focused on her pride, sense of duty, and ambition to succeed as a CIA officer.
Two hours later, Jake lay behind her. The arm draped over her ribs felt like a boa constricting her.
“Can you move your arm, Jake?”
“Sure,” he said.
He rolled out of bed. His belt buckle clinked while he slipped into his jeans.
“I didn’t mean you had to leave,” she said.
“You want me to stay?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s too soon. Staying the night would be a big step,” she said.
“We just took a big step.”
You have no idea, she thought.
Banal animalistic drive had affected his technique as a lover, but she judged him as being otherwise giving and skillful. Her orgasms might have been real had she been ready to enjoy sex again.
“I’m not going to get sappy and ask you to spend the night,” she said. “We’ll know when it’s time, I guess.”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s sleep on it.”
At her apartment door, they kissed. The fingers on the small of her back drew her in but did not crush her. She felt desired but free. She stepped back, and his hands dropped to her waist.
“When will I see you again?” he asked.
“Call me.”
She closed the door. She picked up a phone from its cradle, placed it to her ear, and flopped onto the couch.