Disclaimer: Characters belong to Kudos and the BBC. If they were mine we would have had 'Ruth on the loose'...
Thanks Em and Kate :)
Under the Influence
Harry discreetly surveyed the function room. The end-of-summit dinner had gone well, as had the whole operation. Three stressful days successfully concluded; even his team had been able to relax a little and enjoy some of the hospitality. His eyes settled on Ruth. She was deep in conversation with the French Cultural Attaché; better known as the DGSE man in London. She was clearly enjoying his company and didn't seem to mind when he brushed a lock of her hair off her face. Cheeky bloody French...
"They seem to be getting on quite well." Adam's voice held a hint of mischief. "Mind you, Philippe does have a bit of thing for petite brunettes…"
"Well, I'm sure he's not Ruth's type."
"Really? I'm not sure I know what Ruth's type-"
"Don't you have some security checks to do?" The older man's voice had the he-who-must-be-obeyed tone, which even Adam knew not to argue with.
"On my way."
Harry watched his colleague leave the room and then headed across the floor towards the bar.
"Philippe, good to see you."
"Harry." The Frenchman inclined his head in greeting and smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Good. Your colleague was just-"
"Sorry, Philippe but I need to steal her away from you. Something urgent has just come up." Harry gripped Ruth firmly by the elbow and practically lifted her off her bar stool. He propelled her across the room, out into the reception area and towards the lifts.
"What's the rush, Harry?"
"Er, no reason. I just thought that Monsieur Derbec was getting a bit too friendly."
"Really? We were just chatting." Ruth swayed slightly. She'd clearly been enjoying quite a lot of the hospitality.
"You should be careful, Ruth. All that Gallic charm; he's a bit of a-a ladies man."
"Not jealous are you?"
"No, I…why would I be jealous?" Harry cursed himself. She might be inebriated but she'd still managed to catch him out.
"Oh, no reason. He's not really my type anyway; bit too…too… smooth." She shot him a flirtatious smile. "And I don't find him sexy."
"Right..."
"You know, Harry – you're very sexy." Ruth giggled and stumbled against him.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
She seized the lapels of his jacket and hung on to them as she drew herself up to her full height, which, even in her heels, was still a few inches shorter than him.
"Very, very sexy."
Harry had to put an arm round her waist to steady her as she teetered and almost fell back.
"Oooo, you're getting a bit prump…prestum…cheeky." She giggled again and prodded him in the chest. "Naughty boy."
Even drunk she was adorable, and Harry felt a rush of conflicting emotions as he managed to steer her into the lift.
"You'll regret this in the morning, Ruth." Her arms were wrapped round his neck and he had to reach around her to get to the floor button panel.
"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Harry. I bet you've still got a bit of life in you." Her last comment was accompanied by a suggestive wink and a thrust of her hips against him.
He fought off the urges that were threatening to overwhelm him. As much as he wanted to hold her and make love to her, he would not take advantage of her inebriated state. He wouldn't.
"That's not what I meant. You'll regret drinking so much with the hangover you're going to have in the morning."
"Don't you fancy me, Harry?" She pouted at him and it was the sort of pout that could break the resolve of better men than him. It took all of his strength not to succumb to the temptation of covering her lips with his own and kissing her senseless.
He was saved by the automated voice announcing their arrival at the sixth floor.
"We're here."
He removed her arms from his neck, turned her so she faced in the right direction and began to guide her along the corridor towards her room. He kept an arm round her waist to hold her upright as she seemed decidedly unsteady on her feet. At least that's what he told himself.
"Got your keycard?"
Ruth began to rummage in the small evening bag she had. "It's in here somewhere."
Harry rolled his eyes and wondered how it was possible to lose anything in a bag that was only slightly larger than his wallet.
"Aha!" She triumphantly brandished the piece of plastic at him and then attempted to insert it into the lock. She failed dismally and he removed the card from her hand and opened the door.
They nearly fell over as they entered the room when Ruth decided this was the ideal opportunity to reattach herself to Harry. In his attempts to keep them both vertical, he inadvertently ended up pinning her to the bathroom door. It was inadvertent but also rather enjoyable.
"So you do fancy me then." She tugged at his bow tie and it came undone. "Whoops," she said huskily.
"Let's get you to bed." He immediately regretted his choice of words.
"Wonderful idea!" Ruth pulled him towards the bed and, at the same time, tried to undo his shirt. She made little progress until she realised it had press-stud fastenings instead of buttons. As she began to open them, she smiled at him seductively. "Studs for a stud," she whispered in his ear before nipping at the lobe.
Regretfully, very regretfully, Harry grasped her hands to stop their journey down his chest. "Ruth, this is not a good idea."
"But Harry…"
"No." Keeping hold of her hands, he manoeuvred her towards the edge of the mattress. "Sit down. You should drink some water before you go to sleep. At least a pint if you can manage it."
He poured some mineral water into a glass, sat down on the bed beside her and held her up as she drank. She clutched the glass with both hands in a childlike manner.
"Enough." She made to hand him the still half-full tumbler but he pushed it back at her.
"All of it."
Ruth scowled at him but obediently finished the water. She wiped the back of her hand over her mouth and hiccupped. "There."
"Good girl. I'll leave the glass and the bottle by the bed, then, when you wake up during the night, drink some more."
"Yessir!" she slurred and stuck her tongue out at him.
"You'll thank me in the morning."
"Well, that depends how good you are." She was leaning back on the bed, supporting herself on her elbows and trying to look inviting.
In truth, she looked very inviting and Harry was struggling to stop his imagination going into overdrive. He decided to ignore her remark.
"You need to get some sleep. Come on, take your shoes off."
She didn't respond so he grasped her left foot and started to remove the silvery stiletto she was wearing. The material of her dress began to ride up, exposing her thighs as she wriggled about, attempting to reclaim her leg. Harry dragged his eyes back to her face.
"Ruth, you're not helping."
"Sorry." She tried to look contrite but ending up dissolving into spluttery laughter. It was infectious and Harry couldn't help but laugh with her as he removed her other shoe.
"Under the covers."
"No, I need to get undressed first." Ruth struggled into a sitting position and then attempted to undo her dress.
"I think I should leave you to it."
"No, wait. You'll have to help with this."
"I'm not sure that's-"
"Come on, Harry. I'm sure it's not the first time you've done this."
His hands shook as he undid the zip on her dress, exposing her back. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. It didn't help. All he could think about was the expanse of smooth, bare skin just a few centimetres from him. If he leant forward, his lips would touch her. He would finally be able to taste…
"You can open your eyes."
He did and then immediately shut them again. Ruth had let the dress drop to the floor and was facing him, brazenly showing off her underwear.
"Harry." She said his name softly, tempting him to look at her again.
"Oh God," he whimpered. It wasn't the few scraps of skimpy lace masquerading as bra and panties that nearly broke him but the stockings and suspenders.
"You're not getting all shy on me are you?" Ruth started to slowly walk backwards, swinging her hips enticingly. The effect was somewhat spoilt when the back of her knees unexpectedly connected with the edge of the mattress and she landed in an ungainly heap on the bed.
Harry suddenly regained the use of his legs and hurried across the room. "Are you alright?" He leant over her. "Ruth?"
She giggled and then sighed. "I think I might be a teensy bit drunk."
"I think you are. You should try and sleep it off."
Her reply sounded like 'hmm' but she didn't move. She was almost asleep as Harry struggled to get her under the bedclothes. His task was made more difficult as every attempt to move her seemed to involve touching bare flesh. Very alluring bare flesh.
Eventually he got her settled and sat on the bed beside her to get his breath back. He smiled as she shifted herself into a more comfortable position and started to snore softly. He watched her for a few minutes and then stood up. He hesitated briefly before reaching down and kissing her lightly on the cheek.
Harry closed the door quietly and headed up the corridor to his own room. He reached into his pocket for his keycard and realised he still had Ruth's. He looked at it for a moment and decided that he would return it later.
He splashed cold water onto his face and studied his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He appeared rumpled and slightly flushed. Ruth seemed to have quite an effect on him, even when she was drunk. Shaking his head at himself, he refastened his shirt and tie. It was time to head back downstairs before the others started speculating about what had been going on.
Adam and Zaf were deep in conversation and didn't notice his reappearance at first.
"Let me get this right. He grabbed Ruth and dragged her off upstairs?"
"Not exactly. He just rescued her from the clutches of Philippe Derbec…" Adam trailed off as he spotted Harry glaring at him.
"But you said he bundled her into-"
Adam cleared his throat loudly. "So the perimeter checks are all OK then, Zaf?"
There was a moment of silence and then his colleague realised their boss must be close.
"Er, yes Adam. Everything is fine."
"Glad to hear it Zafar. I wouldn't want to think you two were spending your time gossiping." It was clear from the look on his face that Harry knew that was exactly what they'd been doing. "Right, I'm going to have a nightcap and then get some sleep."
The two younger men watched him head into the bar.
"So, do you think he's waiting for us to get out of the way before he goes back to Ruth?" Zaf whispered conspiratorially at Adam.
"I think he's having a drink before he goes to bed." The mildly ambiguous reply left Zaf wondering if his colleague knew more than he was letting on.
-----
Ruth carefully opened one eye and then the other. Her head was pounding. Surely she hadn't drunk that much. She sat up slowly. Something wasn't quite right. She looked down and realised she still had her underwear and stockings on. Bits and pieces from the previous night started to float back into her consciousness.
Oh God. She took a tentative look at the other side of the bed. It was empty but there was a clear indentation on the pillow. Someone had definitely been sharing her duvet and she had a good idea who that someone was.
She stood under the shower for some time hoping the warm water would make her feel better and help clear her mind. She remembered talking to Philippe and then Harry whisking her away and taking her back to her room. Then things went a bit blurry but she was sure he had helped her out of her dress… After that though, was a complete blank.
Ruth wrapped herself up in the thick hotel bathrobe and sat disconsolately on the bed. She hadn't thought Harry was the shag-and-run type but the evidence seemed to be to the contrary. Flimsy evidence admittedly, but it was enough for her to conclude that once they'd done the deed, he'd cleared off. She could feel tears prickling at the back of her eyes as she lay down on the bed and rested her head on the pillow; his pillow. The smell of his aftershave still lingered on it. If only she could remember what had happened.
-----
Harry looked at his watch again. He wondered if he should go and check on Ruth. She'd still been sleeping when he'd got up, just before 6.00 am. He felt guilty about leaving her without saying anything but he wasn't entirely sure how he could explain his presence in her room. He'd only intended to return her key but then he'd thought, what harm would there be in spending a little time with her? It was only to ensure she was alright.
So he had lain on the bed next to her. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. The sound of her breathing had been very soothing and it wasn't as if he'd got under the covers with her and wrapped his arms round her, as tempting as that had been. He liked to think he'd maintained some level of decorum but he doubted she would agree.
A sudden burst of activity by reception temporarily distracted him. Two of the delegates were having a heated discussion about an incident in the car park. Harry acknowledged the pleading gaze of the young female receptionist with a slight raise of his eyebrows. He would sort this problem out first and then go and see Ruth.
-----
Ruth checked her appearance for the third time. There was little outward evidence of the previous night's escapades but she still felt as if there was a big sign over her head saying 'I shagged my boss.'
Luckily the breakfast room was quiet when she walked in. Most of the delegates had either gone or were sleeping off the evening's excesses. She found a small table by the window and sat down. She ordered coffee and toast, which arrived fresh and hot within a few minutes.
"Good morning. I think you might need these as well." A glass of orange juice and a bottle of aspirin were placed on the table in front of her.
"H-Harry. Um, thank you." She avoided his gaze as he sat down opposite her.
"How are you feeling?"
"Oh, you know…" She stirred her coffee and studied the tablecloth.
"Is everything alright?"
He sounded genuinely concerned and Ruth felt her eyes inexorably drawn to his. "Yes. No. Well, I'm not sure." Despite the blush she could feel taking over her whole face, she struggled on. "It's just I can't…I can't quite remember what happened. Last night. With you."
"Oh."
His single word answer was enough to confirm her worst fears: he had obviously found the whole experience a complete nightmare.
"I'm sorry, Harry. Can we just forget it ever happened?"
"It's alright, really. I mean it's not like it's the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last."
She looked stricken.
"Ruth?"
"You mean, you've…you've slept with members of your team before?"
"What?!"
"Harry, we slept together!" she shouted at him. There was a loud crash from the other side of the restaurant as a plate hit the floor. Zaf was standing by the hot food buffet with a look of shocked amusement on his face. He gave them a wide, cheeky smile and hurried out of the room.
Ruth groaned and rested her forehead on the table.
"We didn't sleep together. Well, technically we did sleep together but we didn't have-" Harry stopped, cleared his throat and took a breath. "We didn't have sex, Ruth. You'd been drinking. Do you think I would take advantage of you?"
His unanswered question hung in the air.
"Ruth? Do you think I would do that to you?"
"I don't know. I didn't know what to think. I can't remember all the details."
Hesitantly, and with much embarrassment on both sides, Harry gave her a recap of the previous evening's events. Once he'd finished, Ruth sat in silence, contemplating what he'd told her. At least they hadn't had sex, which was something to be thankful for, although she couldn't quite shake off a sense of disappointment about that.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"For behaving like an idiot and for putting you in an awkward position."
"Don't worry about it. We've all got drunk and done silly things." Harry reached across the table and squeezed her hand. It was an unexpected gesture and Ruth's head snapped up. He muttered an apology and started to pull his hand away but she stopped him and curled her fingers round his.
"I asked you a question last night but you didn't answer it."
"You asked me several questions as I recall. Which one did you have in mind?"
Her grip on his hand tightened. "Do you fancy me?"
"Yes, I do. Especially when you're wearing stockings and suspenders."
She blushed and gasped. "Harry!"
He chuckled, enjoying the reaction he'd got. "Maybe we should talk about this when we get back to London, over dinner perhaps?"
She smiled at him. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."
A review would be nice and might inspire me to write drunk Harry...