Alex should have slept like a baby; but once again, her sleep was disturbed and restless. When she did sleep, her dreams were filled with images of Gene's troubled face and a young man, one whom she had never met but with whom she felt a strange connection. When she woke, she was shaken, sweating despite the relentless cold. Looking at Jim's sleeping form beside her, she considered that he had seemed to be hiding something earlier in the evening. Why was he so keen to get her out of the house? She hated to admit it, but all of her instincts-her "guts", as Gene would have put it, told her that she shouldn't trust the beautiful stranger beside her.
Watching Jim intently, she could see he was fast asleep. Clearly exhausted by their earlier activities, he laid on his stomach, arms stretched out by each side of his head, lips slightly parted, long, dark eyelashes resting on the tops of his cheeks. You're really rather breathtaking, Alex noted. She shook herself from her observation and her eyes fell upon Jim's suit jacket hanging on the back of the dressing table chair. After a few minutes spent internally debating whether she was justified in rummaging through a fellow agent's clothing whilst he slept, she eased herself out of bed and dug her hands in the jacket pocket. She checked one, then the other...nothing. Then, she saw a lining pocket which seemed to conceal a crumpled piece of paper. Upon retrieving it, she saw it was a telegram hallmarked with the British Government Crest. "Car sent to collect Mr & Mrs Mills at Heathrow. Reports show passengers never boarded flight 214. Please advise on situation as soon as possible." Alex swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. Jim said that he'd sent a telegram advising they needed more time. Why would he lie? She needed answers. Her curiosity hastened her pace as she made her way back down to Levkov's study.
Wasting no time, she made a beeline for the cabinet where she'd first found the blueprints. Upon finding the class photo where Jim had stuffed the document, Alex undid the back of the frame. To her dismay, it was gone. Why would Levkov move it unless he knew they had seen it? She ripped open the backs of the other frames in the cabinet, frantically searching for the document she was sure would give her answers. Suddenly, she was stopped by the sound of the safety being removed from a gun behind her. "Looking for these, my dear?" Levkov's voice chilled her to the bone. Turning around slowly, Alex saw him in the doorway; the blueprints were in one hand, the gun in the other. "Nicolas, I was lost, I..." Levkov cut her off, unwilling to hear her excuses. "Did you think I wouldn't notice the frame tampered with?" The edges of his lips curled slightly, as if amused by the whole situation. "Did you think I would not notice the paper disturbed? You really do have a lot to learn, Alex, and your husband informs me you are the best the British government has to offer? My, my, my." Alex couldn't hide her hurt at Jim's betrayal. She had suspected that something was amiss, but THIS? This was too much, even for her.
Levkov led her at gunpoint up to an empty bedroom at the far end of the house. "You will stay here until I decide what is to be done with you." Never once taking the gun away from the small of her back, he pushed her forcefully into the room, locking it behind her instantly. Alex slapped the palms of her hands against the door. "Wait, Nicolas! I can explain, I can! Just wait..." All she heard instead were footsteps walking away and down the stairs. She slumped against the door, the hurt of Jim's betrayal burning within her. "You f**king bastard..." she cried, still pounding at the door. Collecting herself for a moment, she looked about her prison. It was rather bare, a junk room of sorts. In the corner stood an old bed, a wardrobe, and a wash basin. Old, tatty curtains hung against the window and there were nails securing the windows shut. A chill ran through her as she considered that, maybe, she wasn't the first person to be kept here.
She sat on the dust-covered bed. This wasn't the first time she'd been held hostage; at least this was a damn sight warmer than the meat freezer that Chaz Cale had locked her in, but somehow this situation seemed a lot more dire. There was no Gene to rescue her now. Gene... Alex closed her eyes; tears wouldn't help her now. There was no one coming to rescue her this time but herself. Swallowing down her sorrow, she tried to focus on plotting her escape.
She paced the room for what seemed like hours, although she had no way of truly knowing being as there were no clocks in the room. Her nails were bitten down to the flesh and her mind was in shreds. And then, she heard a key in the lock of the door. Standing straight, shoulders back and chest out, she prepared to face Levkov. Her eyes lit up with fury and surprise as she stared into the eyes of Jim Keats.
Hardly able to draw breath, Alex hated herself for letting angry tears flood her eyes. "You!" she spat through gritted teeth, "Get away from me!" Jim only moved closer. "Get out...GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed so loud she thought her lungs would burst. Alex threw her hands up and balled them into fists as she advanced towards him. Not saying a word, Jim firmly took hold of her wrists; Alex felt the beginnings of pins and needles starting to develop in her hands. "Shhhh...would you rather I send in Levkov? Would you rather I let him have his way with you?" Jim's voice was so patronising she could hardly bear it; but, truth be told, she was glad it wasn't Levkov. She'd had time at least to profile Jim, and thus gain a greater understanding. Sensing her acceptance, Jim released one of her hands and brushed a stray curl from her forehead in an act of affection that almost seemed genuine. "My God, Alex, what have you been up to now? You look a fright." Alex flinched; the voice was Jim's, but his demeanor had taken on a far more sinister air. "What's going on Jim? Tell me." Alex's voice trembled. His hand rested on the crook of her neck as though to soothe her, although she suspected he would snap it at a moment's notice if she didn't tread carefully. Jim raised his eyebrows as though to give her question serious consideration. "Well, Alex, it seems I was a better actor than you'd thought." Alex opened her mouth to put him in his place, but he quickly placed a finger over her lips to silence her. "Before you launch into once of your scathing observations on my character, Alex, I will remind you that your life rests firmly in my hands." Jim's fingers were cool on her lips and Alex knew she had mere seconds to decide how she would proceed.
Raising her hand to rest over his on her collarbone, Alex let her shoulders drop as though to give in. "Why, Jim? Why did you not trust me? You could have told me. Why do you have such little faith?" She looked up at him, her brown eyes large and soulful. "What, I was supposed to just tell you everything, risk all of my plans?" Jim scoffed, unwilling to believe she would have done anything but turn him in. Alex looked away as though she were a little hurt. "At first, yes; of course I would have asked you to reconsider. I can't lie." She drew a breath. "But surely you can see...Jim, I would follow you anywhere." She dared reach out a hand to stroke his cheek as Jim looked down at her, struggling to comprehend what she was saying. "I'm crazy about you; just think what we could achieve," Alex spoke in barely a whisper, moving nearer to him. His eyes searched her face, looking for some sign of truth or deceit.
His shoulders slumped and he let himself lean into her. "I just.." he started, his demeanor softening as he yielded himself to her. "...I just never thought you would see things my way," he conceded, still a little defensive and confused. Truth be told, he wanted to believe a woman like Alex could understand him, maybe even love him. Alex reached out and pulled his face down to her eyeline. "Jim, everything is your way now..." She cut herself off with the lightest of kisses on the corner of his mouth, testing the waters. Feeling his arms entwine around her frame, she knew she had him. He pulled her in so tightly that she could hardly breathe. His hands seemed to roam around her figure with such pressure and intensity that it was all she could do to stop her knees giving way. She could feel her lips were swollen and bruised from Jim's deep kisses that seemed to suck and nibble at all the right points. "Am I not enough for you, Jim?" she quizzed him, breathless from their exploits and playing every bit the insecure little woman. Jim paused and stroked her face, his eyes apologetic. "Don't..." he paused like a wounded school boy. "Don't say that, it's not like that; I didn't think you would want me...if you knew..." With that, Alex struck the final blow, almost hating herself for doing it. "I will always want you," she assured him, feeling her stomach twist itself into knots.
Jim inhaled sharply, reassured and confident. He crashed his lips upon Alex once more, this time attacking the spot on her neck that he had learned would drive her crazy. It seemed he had mapped out her body in the most infinite detail, knowing just where to kiss, just where to stroke, just where to lick. Driving her down to the bed, he straddled himself over her hips. Letting himself take in the sight of her, Jim reached out one hand and traced it down her neck and between her breasts, ripping open her delicate white blouse with the slightest of efforts. He shot her a smirk as he worked his way down the buttons of his own shirt; Alex could only lay there before him, struggling to hold on to the concept that this was for self-preservation and not pleasure. No longer able to take his eyes as they burned into her flesh, she reached up to pull him into another fiery, lingering kiss, their bodies pressed together as they writhed on the dusty bed linen.
Clearly determined to take the lead, Jim prised one of her hands off of his chest and pressed it palm down over his crotch, leading Alex right to where he wanted her, letting her feel just how hard she had made him. This somewhat adolescent action only served to assure Alex of her power over him. Taking him firmly in hand through the material of his trousers, she stared deeply into his eyes; he had never looked more vulnerable. In a moment of realisation, Jim asserted himself, shoving her roughly onto her back. Grabbing a fistful of her skirt, he quickly removed it from her, tossing it onto the floor. Alex now laid before him in only her knickers as he paused to take in the sight of her whilst finally undoing his trousers. She couldn't help but notice his face looked conflicted. Propping herself up on her elbows she couldn't resist: "What's wrong, James?" Her voice was like velvet, her words spinning a sultry yarn. "...a bit of stage fright?" His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared in such a way that should have been intimidating, but in this instance it sent shockwaves to the pit of her stomach. His features contorted into a sneer that only hinted at the storm that was about to ensue.
Wholly without care or consideration, he took hold of her knees, spreading them wide. Unceremoniously, Jim shoved her lace knickers to one side and slid two fingers into her in one rough movement. He was about to teach her a lesson not to tease him. Alex's head flew back, feeling his cool fingers explore her; there was something almost uncomfortably intimate about this act. Jim made no attempt to hide his anger at her insolence or the fact that he was staring directly at her as he watched the way her body reacted to what he was doing. Leaning over her, he spoke in a rough whisper, "Does it feel like I have stage fright, Alex..." He punctuated this by twisting his fingers, making her eyes blink open in surprise. She searched for words, but the power to form sentences escaped her at this point. "N..n...no," she murmured, her hips now moving with his fingers. Pleased at his victory, Jim removed his fingers and scoffed slightly at the whimper of disappointment this drew from Alex, pursing his lips in smug satisfaction. "You're going to have to beg for it, Alex." With that, he moved away from her. The feeling of loss was almost too much to bear; grabbing his shoulders, she flung him down onto the bed, determined. Still doing his best to look unmoved by the situation, Jim laid on his back looking up at her. "My God, woman; you're positively feral." It was his turn to tease, but he couldn't maintain his calm exterior as she suddenly sunk herself down upon him. Both moaned and gasped loudly at the thrill of it. "F**k, Alex!" Jim's arms flew to her hips, gripping firmly as she relentlessly thrust into him. Feeling himself getting rapidly closer he started to regret letting her have control, although seeing her from this angle, he concluded that it might even be worth the humiliation of not lasting all that long.
Sliding his fingers down to the juncture of her thighs, he brushed his thumb over her once...twice. "Oh, God, Jim...like that.." Her eyes remained closed. "Open your eyes," he commanded, still working on her with his thumb. "Alex, open your eyes. Look at me!" he demanded, knowing that with a few more flicks of his thumb she would fall to pieces around him. Her eyes pinged open, her expression almost frantic. Her thrusts had grown erratic now, and at some point his hips had started thrusting into her as well, Alex moaning perfectly in time with each impact. His thumb still making circles on her, he swallowed, trying to compose himself. "No one else gets to touch you like this Alex; do you understand?" Jim's voice was breathless but authoritative at the same time. Alex tried to vocalize but could barely speak at this point. "I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND, ALEX!" Jim thrust his hips into her savagely, shaking her. "Yes..yes...Jim..no one but you...," she breathed as her orgasm finally hit her. Alex bit her bottom lip, trying to stifle a scream as her nails sunk into his chest. He held on to her, nearly bruising her skin as he pulled her down to his chest. Letting his own hips take over, he thrust into her until he climaxed, calling out her name into the crook of her neck.
Both of them stayed entangled like this for a long while until their breathing slowed and Alex felt Jim's heart rate return to its normal steady beat. Lifting her head from his chest, she gazed at Jim. He was sleeping soundly, looking contented and peaceful. The lines between fantasy and reality greyed once again and she almost hated herself for what she was about to do.
