Caleb Deronda barely looked up as the door to his inner domain opened. He knew with out looking who would be the only person to enter without his permission. Lucinda crept in, and was now waiting for him to speak.
'Have they been dealt with?'
'Actually no. All of them have escaped, taking Hermes as well, but before he left Bond declared he was an animal right's activist, and freed all the lab animals. They're now rampaging down the streets of St. Petersburg, and we have no Hermes anymore.'
'Good.'
Lucinda leaned over and gently but firmly lowered the document Caleb was intensely studying. 'You're not listening to me Caleb. You know I hate that.'
Coldly he finally looked at her. 'I'm all ears.'
'That's so much better,' Lucinda smirked. 'Bond and his cohorts have been captured, and Hermes has been successfully administrated to at least one of them. The others will shortly share the same or a similar fate.'
'Similar?' Deronda raised an eyebrow.
'The woman. Kain. I'm dealing with her.'
'Personally?'
'Indirectly shall we say?' Lucinda fixed him with a piercing gaze. 'Do you have a problem with that?'
'Of course not. I'm aware that you are more than capable of handling matters like this. After all,' he gave a snake like smile, that seemed out of place on his handsome features. 'It was you who managed to remove a certain obstacle from our plan. And I shall ever be grateful to you for it. Shall we have a drink to celebrate?'
Lucinda stretched languidly in her seat. 'Excellent idea. I'll deal with that as well shall I?'
'Always have to be in control, don't you Lucinda?' he pointed out as she revealed a bottle of champagne.
'You know me. I love a bit of power.'
There was something in her tone, her very cool, precise manner as she poured the two glasses of champagne that chilled Caleb to the bone. Not for the first time he found himself questioning her motives... and her sanity.
The chink of glass upon the table in front of him broke through his reverie. He reached for it automatically, but something made him stop dead, one hand still outstretched for it.
'What?' she has such an innocent smile, that beautiful smooth face a perfect mask, hiding a poisoned soul. For the moment she had a use for him, and he her, but for how long?
A look of bewildered amusement swept across her face, her laugh as delicate as the champagne flute in front of him. 'You didn't think?' she laughed again, grating upon his nerves, 'Oh, Caleb!'
She slid over to him, her warm smell enveloping him completely. Everything about her was soft and seductive, the halo of bright hair, that sweet little rosebud mouth, the silk suit, even her immaculate nails were painted the most delicate, palest pink. So at odds with her personality, Caleb had suffered those nails as they had tore at his back in the throes of demanding, hard, vicious passion. Nothing was ever what it seemed.
Lucinda gazed up at her so called partner. He was a staggeringly good looking man, with that smooth olive skin, sludgy green eyes, and tousled, soft, curling hair. It was a shame that he would never be as powerful as he seemed to think he was. And while Alec had the power, and was still a highly attractive man...she preferred not to think of his scars. She blinked the image away, and gave a tiny grim smile. A woman could never have everything she wanted... she would have to compromise somewhere...
Reaching over she dipped her finger into the glass in front of Caleb, her finger caressed by the cascading tiny bubbles. Slowly, with a coy little smile playing upon her lips she sucked the champagne from her digit. 'See....there is nothing to worry about...'
Her lips were closing in upon his, he let her kiss him, still feeling a grudging throb of desire for her. Still the way things were going, in less than one week, Hermes would be far away from Russia, and out of everyone's grasp but his own....
He grabbed her arms, pulling her down to him. 'Soon, soon we shall announce our victory to all those that fear us, those that wished nothing more than to see us fail...except one. And with his absence...they shall know that they are at our mercy.'
Lucinda laughed, a deep, delicious, throaty laugh, and he pulled her into a kiss. It was their celebration.
