Under Covers

1. The Spy Who Loved Me

There's only one thing standing between me and my promotion. And it's just beyond that door.

Kim stands outside the office of her billionaire ice king boss, Jake Knight. She's alone in the tower of Knight Industries, the most prestigious security firm in London. The city spreads out below her, as far as she can see.

Jake gave me a challenge, and I'm not going to fuck it up. This may be my fifth attempt to break into his safe, but I'm ready. If I can bypass his security systems, that promotion will be mine.

Cautiously, she opens the door to Jake's office. She slides a pair of night goggles out of her bag. Through the goggles, the room transforms - lasers shooting across the space in every direction. Past the field of lasers, Kim spots the safe.

I can do this. I'm going to show Jake that I deserve a top spot on his team.

With a deep breath, she lifts and duck under the shimmering red beams, making her way expertly across the room. But when stands, resting a hand on Jake's desk, the lasers begin to shift, moving right towards her. She slides along the table, narrowly missing the zig-zagging lasers.

Shit!

She barrel rolls off the desk and hit the carpet with a hard thump, right next to the safe. She rolls up her sleeves and take a deep breath. Before her is a keypad - the last obstacle between Kim and her promotion. She dusts the keypad with powder and four fingerprints appear.

The date we first met? I can't believe that's his lock code.

She begins to type in the date when suddenly the lights flicker on.

"Looking for something?"

"Jake!" she jumps up as quickly and turn to see the boss himself. Jake Knight looks handsome but cold in his expensive black suit, like an untouchable James Bond. He crosses his arms over his chest as he smirks at her.

Jake and I have become close friends over the years. So why can he still disarm with that damn smug smile?

"Well, Catwoman?" his upper-class London accent is silky smooth and deep.

"Um, hi, boss! You look handsome today."

"Flattery won't get you out of this, Kim."

"Flattery? Me? I'm just telling the truth."

"Really? Well, I can't say I mind your little cat-burglar get up either."

She rolls her eyes, but have a hard time wiping the smile off her face. She's used to his flirting.

Jake may be a billionaire playboy, but it's harmless when he directs that magnetism at me. He has his pick of any woman in London. It's not like he'd ever look at me seriously.

Jake crosses the room with his usual, authoritative air, piercing blue eyes never leaving hers. "That little gymnastics act you did earlier was fairly impressive. Feel free to bust that move out again any time. Preferably next time we're alone."

"Um... Keep it in your pants, Jake."

"I don't know. This little cat-and-mouse game  feels a bit like foreplay." He lifts his eyebrows at Kim and smirks. It made them both laugh.

"You have that wrong, Jake. I'm not playing a game with you. It's between me and that safe of yours."

"And clearly, you're losing." Jake starts a sweep of the room, investigating how she dealt with his security measures. "This was a pretty good run. Six out of ten, I'd say. Acceptable. Much better than the last go."