Vesper entered the room bringing in a fresh, lilac scent. She looked gorgeous in the deep plum dress that perfectly flattered her figure. Though she would have gone a bit more conservative, she was astounded at James' good taste. Not many men knew how to pick an evening dress for a woman, but then, James Bond wasn't just any man. She'd constantly wondered about their chat on the train to Montenegro. He was hermetical, had not let her in any details except what she'd guessed, and still there was something raw and wanting when she stared into his electric blue eyes, something that shook her from head to toe.
Vesper climbed the carpeted steps and noted James' besotted gaze as she came up and kissed him on the cheek. "Weren't you supposed to enter so the others could see you?" He whispered, his lips brushing against hers.
She pulled back. "Was I? Forgive me." She swept her eyes over the card players and painting a sardonic smile called out "Good luck, darling," before heading to meet Mathis at the bar.
She smiled shyly at the charming, older man and took the glass of champagne he offered. "Everyone at that table is still looking at you, my dear." She was exhilarated to note that indeed everyone was still furtively staring at her, James included.
As the game proceeded Vesper kept a close count of how much James was winning or losing. She'd been told by her supervisor that appearances notwithstanding, she was there to work and she had to keep a close watch on the ten million dollars under her charge. Bond did quite well playing the aloof millionaire, losing as often as he won and it caused Vesper anxiety to see him easily toy with government funds like they were mere pennies.
The game was nearing its halfway point when James decided to up the stakes, forcing Le Chiffre to either quit or show his game. The pale-faced man accepted the challenge and in a single stroke swept up the two hundred thousand Bond had bet. James stood from the table as the game was paused and walked over to Vesper and Mathis, smiling in that devil-may-care grin of his. Before Vesper could react, he put his arms around her and kissed her deeply, pulling her to him. If she hadn't been so angry at his recklessness, she would have swooned.
"You taste nice." He declared, drawing away. They looked intensely into each other's eyes, hers flashing, his unreadable.
"I thought we dispensed with covers."
"No, we dispensed with one that was of no use and created another that is." He turned to Mathis "Is he watching?"
"Yes."
"Good" James said as he tried to kiss her again, but Vesper turned her head sideways to avoid him. "This is me in character pissed off because you're losing so fast we won't be here past midnight. Oddly my character's feelings mirror my own."
He relented but not before brushing against her as he reached behind her for his drink. "You know, that's not half bad" he murmured after taking a sip, "I'm going to have to think a name for that."
She stared, confused. "It was worth it to discover his tell."
"What do you mean?" asked Mathis.
"The twitch he has to hide when he bluffs."
"Bluffs?" Exclaimed Vesper in spite of herself. "He had the best hand!"
"Which he got on the last card." James answered, handing her his drink and picking up a chrome, pill-shaped bug handed to him by Mathis before going back to the card table.
Curious, Vesper took a sip of the drink, savoring the heady mix of flavors. "Not half bad."
A little later the game was paused for an hour and Vesper went to meet James. "So?" she asked.
"You want to do what to me?" James said rather loudly, while leaning down.
"You've lost me completely."
He grinned and putting an arm around her waist leading her to the exit, while whispering "You just said you can't wait to get me back to the room. Come on." She had no idea what they were doing, but was not foolish enough to believe they were actually going back to the room. She was not that kind of a woman.
At the hotel lobby, they stopped at the front desk to pick up a package Bond had stored. They climbed unto the golden elevators, his arm still about her, holding her protectively or was it territorially? As the gilded doors shut, he handed her the package. "Open that," he said while pulling out his cellphone and an earpiece. The envelope was heavy and when she looked inside she was dismayed to see a gun and silencer inside. James took out the gun, checked it and after checking his phone for the pulse of the bug he had planted on Le Chiffre, punched the fourth floor button.
When they arrived, the hall was eerily empty. James went out first while Vesper lagged, wondering if it was safe at all for her to be there. He moved carefully, watching for any signs of guards or surveillance, when suddenly a terrified scream rang out. They both froze in their steps and held their breaths. Another scream was heard two doors down from where they stood. James turned to Vesper. "Go to the room. Wait for me there."
She ran back to the elevator just as the doors closed. She desperately pushed the button several times and then turned to James, panic blooming inside of her. "Stairs!" He hissed, shoving open the stairwell doors and pulling her to him. A door clicked open nearby and James slammed his mouth against Vesper's hoping the cover of two desperate lovers would hold. She reacted automatically, pouring her fear out through the pressure on her lips, knowing her life depended on it. James pushed her all the way inside
They heard the soft tread of footsteps moving closer and then past them. Vesper felt the tension ease off her chest, when suddenly James shoved her inside and the doorframe exploded.
The stairwell was dimly lit and narrow. Vesper pressed herself to the side and James stood next to the entrance as a black man crashed through the door, gun in hand. Using the momentum the man carried, James grabbed his arm and tossed him over the railing. The man's screams were cut short by a loud thump and a sickening crack at the same time another man burst through brandishing an enormous knife. He slashed left and right knocking the gun out of James' hand. Vesper hurried down the stairs fearful to get caught in between the dueling men.
There was a loud ring and a shower of sparks as the knife hit the railing. James hurtled backwards down the stairs, and Vesper barely avoided being crushed against the wall. James flipped the man on his back and he landed at her feet with a groan. Terrified she sought for an escape route and saw they had tumbled their way down to the floor below. A crash came from behind her as the men hurdled over the railing in a flailing knot of hands and legs.
Vesper reached the door and pushed against the metal bar only to find it would not budge. She beat her fist in terror and then heard James call out. "Vesper, move!" She turned in time to see James shrug off his torn coat as the black man sliced through it, and then it dawned on her. "He is protecting me."
At that moment, James managed to grab the man by the cuff of his shirt and slammed him several times against the wall, splattering blood everywhere. The black man wriggled from his grip and threw his body forward, taking James with him over the railing. Vesper let out a gasping cry as they fell a few feet and landed next to the body of the first man who'd attacked them. Somehow, the fight had managed to last all the way down to the first floor.
The men struggled to get up and, as one, saw James' gun but a few feet from them. They scrabbled to reach it before the other, but it was Vesper, who'd remained pressed against the wall, who reached the gun just as the black man got a hold of it. She clung to his arm fighting the iron grip on the weapon until at last, the gun slipped and went off. Like a wrestler of ancient times, James wrapped his powerful arms about their assailant's neck, locking him down until he stopped moving.
Vesper sat back gasping, unable to stop looking at the dark face, beaten to a pulp, with red eyes and blood dripping down its nostrils.
Slowly, James stood up, panting; his posture like that of a primitive creature. His shirt was covered in blood and a there was an angry-looking gash on the side of his head. He took Vesper by the arm, forcing her to stand up. "Find Mathis, tell him I've hidden the bodies. Go!" he yelled after her.
A few hours later, the game was stopped to be resumed the following night. James rose from the card table with a satisfied grin. It had been a satisfactory evening as far as the game went. Now, he needed to wait until morning to speak to Mathis and find another way of bringing Le Chiffre in.
His job done, he could finally have a well-earned rest. He walked into his empty suite, checked that nothing was out of place and opened the door that connected his room with Vesper's. He expected to find her asleep, but the bed was empty and on further inspection, he saw a broken glass of wine on top of a table. He stood quietly, thinking of the possibilities of her being taken hostage when the faint sound of running water caught his attention. Warily he opened the bathroom door. Vesper sat inside the shower still wearing her evening gown and jewelry, her make-up, streaked and her eyes rimmed with red. She didn't even stir at his presence, but only hugged her legs rightly about her.
Slowly, James walked in and sat beside her, underneath the running water. His contact released her and she clutched his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. "It's like there's blood on my hands and it's not coming off."
He nodded comprehensively and wondered at how the young woman's countenance was changed. Gone was the goddess of sharp wit and a cold smile, leaving in her place a woman of flesh and blood, shocked by horrors she had never thought to encounter.
"Here, let me see." He took her delicate hand and pulled at her fingers with his mouth. "That's better," he said softly as Vesper moved closer to him.
"You cold?" He asked, feeling her body shiver beside him. She nodded and James turned the faucet, letting the warm water wash over them both.