Echo

Chapter 24

Quinn's POV 9:34 PM

It was show time. Walking over to Bucky who was dressed dapperly in a Tom Ford suit. Quinn almost didn't recognize him with clean shaven cheeks and his freshly cut dark mahogany hair slicked back making him look even more deviatingly handsome. She was so focused on his new look that he'd taken off to achieve when they landed that it took her a long minute before she turned her attention to the man he was talking to. Shaking herself back to the job she wrapped herself around Bucky's arm, running her left hand up his chest.

"Roger, darling, can you get me a glass of champagne? I promise to keep your new friend company." She was to keep him distracted while Bucky broke into his office upstairs and downloaded the files SHIELD wanted on this new Hydra splinter group. They thought rebranding their name would let them slip past them. Sorry, but nope.

Quinn batted her eyelashes up at the handsome frenchman standing across from them. He was tall with wavy dark brown hair that swooped artfully over his forehead just this side of making her want to reach up to brush it back so she could see his dark chocolate colored eyes. She bet it was done intentionally for that reason alone. To have a woman itching to touch him in any way she could just to get a better look at him. His dark eyes swept over her body, definitely appreciating the emerald number she had picked out that left her décolletage exposed to the eyes of everyone in the room and exposed a good length of leg set off perfectly with a pair of beautiful heels.

"Of course, sweetheart." Buck grins as he tucked her deeper into his side, mock possessively as he turns back to the other man. "Now I expect her to still be my girlfriend by the time I get back, Henri." Her friend's perfect inflection in saying the Frenchman's name made her smile. She had to admit that she had a bit of a weakness for the french accent, more specifically when Steve spoke French to her. Biting her lip she shivers at the remembered naughty things he'd whisper to her when they were in public to get her going so they could go home and have some fun.

Quinn turned her attention back to Henri Richelieu, the face of the Crimson Sparrows. His aim was more espionage and assassinations than outright taking over the world although she was sure that was in there too. Only Richelieu wanted to do it slowly and glamorously. Hence the gala for the who's who of the world's political up and comers and wealthy jerk faces out to grab power wherever they could at the expense of the everyday joe.

Chuckling, Richelieu wrapped his arm around Quinn's waist and pulled her firmly to his side. "No promises, Sterling. You can't leave someone as beautiful as Mademoiselle Christianson with me and not expect me to try and steal her away." To her credit, Quinn didn't immediately punch him in the balls for touching her without her permission. Instead she played into her role like the professional she was and ran her hand up his suited chest.

"I'm loyal. Roger knows that, but I'm not adverse to having a little fun." Quinn shot Buck a wink to let him know she had Richelieu and he could go do what he needed to do.

Grazing a kiss on her cheek, Bucky told them, "I might be waylaid at the bar seeing how crowded it is. You two have some fun, but not too much fun." Richelieu laughed as he took Quinn's hand to twirl her in a circle causing her skirt to flare out and expose her right leg when the slit swished about her long legs.

"Then I'll use my time wisely to dance with the lovely mademoiselle." Bucky gave him a smirk knowing that this man had no idea who he was dealing with and walked away in the direction of the bar.

Quinn allowed Richelieu to lead her out to the dance floor. Placing her right hand in his left, she draped her left hand around his neck while he gripped her waist tightly, pulling her up against him. Usually men will just sway you back and forth in a circle and call it good, but not Henri Richelieu. He twirled and dipped her across the dance floor like a man who knew how to woo a lady.