Service and Duty
Chapter Eight – Getting some Action
When on occasion his big-headiness reared its ugly head, James smirked at the ease of his charms that could pick up any girl and have them eating out of his hand in under an hour. He knew that he presented a very desirable picture – tall, dark and handsome. He knew and so did everyone else. And so does Moneypenny. The difficult came in expressing real, heart-felt emotions without being accused of James 'the womaniser'.
This problem needed to be overcome for Bond to have even the slightest with the women he was growing to love.
It was strange. In the six years that they had worked closely to one another (when he went in and out of M's office), he never considered Jane Moneypenny as the candidate that would make him fall in love again. In frank truth, she wasn't a great beauty like the many of women he had bedded ranging from models to millionaires. Her personality was one of quiet strength when he enjoyed outrageous flattering and spontaneity exhibition yet she was witty with those sharp comebacks. It was clear that she would ground him more, not fall for his lame excuses and demand honest. Was it worth it?
This was the question that was filling his head as he laid fully clothed on his bed, staring at the ceiling in deep contemplation. He could hear the running of the shower in the adjoining bathroom and sighed. He would have to decided if the gambit was worth it because pursuing this would either lead him two ways. Firstly losing his closest female friend and having months of Bill Tanner telling him what the heck he was thinking or he would have life outside the secret service that resembled normality which he found extremely tantalising and sexy. All those late Sunday mornings in a double bed…
The shower had stopped next door.
Bond groaned at the frustration as he struggled to maintain some kind of focus on the dilemma and not the need to grab Jane and have his wicked way with her. He reverently believed that underneath the uniform skirt and blouse held a woman of passion. Had her underwear drawer not proven that there was more to Aunty Jane that meets the eye?
There he went again off the topic again. Rolling off the bed and grabbing a blue bathroom towel, he resolved to think about this when having a very cold shower. The cool, refreshing water would clear his head. Or at least he hoped. With a bit of hopping as he removed his shoes, James opened the bathroom door.
He stopped dead. Oh dear God! There is front of him, towelling herself dry was Moneypenny in all her glory. He should look away – be a gentleman but the sight was incredible. The glimpse of her freshly washed milky skin, round breasts and long arching back was overwhelming to the brain. In another second he knew that he had done wrong and spun around and coughed very loudly.
Jane jumped at the sound. She could not believe her eyes. James was standing in her bathroom with his back faced to her. "What the heck are you doing here 007?"
His codename made him wince. She was very angry. Hopefully she would not discovery that he had seen more that she actually thought. Although if he turned around now, it would be obvious that he had.
"Sorry Penny dear, thought you had finished and was about to jump in for a shower", replied James as smoothly as he could in his state. He did not turn round.
Jane tugged the towel tightly around her frame. She was mortified that James might have caught more of her than she was willing to allow. She cursed herself about not checking the extra door. In her foolishness she had thought it was a cabinet of extra towels or something; certainly not the door that led to James Bond's bed. That thought brought a betraying delightful shiver down her back. Unconsciously she took in the view of his nice arse and then scolded herself.
"I thought this was an ensuite", Jane muttered, "stupid me!"
"Don't blame yourself. I should have said but it slipped my mind when we arrived."
James could here the indecision in the movement of footstep. He prayed that she would put this incident aside.
Moneypenny knew that she could not really be angry with him. "Did you see anything?"
"Anything?" Confusion was noted.
"Of me?"
A small pause. "No. But if you want me to I would be honoured", came the natural flirty reply. He crossed his fingers under the towel, hoping that she would not detect this one lie. A shoe hit his back. Grinning he turned, leaning against his doorframe and said, "Now, Penny dear that wasn't nice".
In a childish mood, Jane in her twenty-eight years stuck her tongue out.
James moved in closer while chuckling. "Very mature", he pondered, "although I could find better uses for it." Giving her a saucy wink.
Jane rolled her blue eyes at him. "I think I'll pass. Don't know where you've been."
As a hit, it targeted him right in the middle of his heart. James inwardly cringed. There was no smoke without fire. It was the truth and for a bitter moment, he viewed himself as some kind of man-whore (which if he was being honest – he was) and found that he disliked it.
Jane gathered her substitute clothing in one hand, holding the towel in the other, making sure that it did not fall, and headed to her room. She paused at the door. It was not the way to leave things as she reviewed her bitter comment about his conquests. Everyone was not perfect, she knew that and it would take a gay saint to say no to all those women basically throwing themselves at him.
"Thank you for the clothes James." Surprising they all fitted and Jane was unsure how the 007 knew her bra size.
"My pleasure." James watched as she moved forward again and spoke out. "Jane." She stopped. "Let me take you out for lunch tomorrow to apologise for this." He waved his hands around the room.
"There's no need…"
"Please?" He was playing dirty by pulling the puppy dog look.
Jane folded. She would regret this but the idea of James Bond asking her out for lunch. Just the two of them. It was a tempting offer that no one could refuse. "Ok."
"I'll pick you up at twelve here. No leaving the flat at all when I'm at the office remember?"
"Yes sir," she smiled. He had drilled Peter and her, after dinner at the precaution that should be taken and to understand that they may never leave the penthouse without him. Ever. It was kind of cute seeming him stressing over their safety. Annoying but cute.
He moved forward quickly and kissed her cheek, whispering a soft goodnight before disappearing back in his room. Butterflies crept into her stomach and she hoped that she wasn't blushing madly.
The cold shower could go to hell. He had made his decision.
Overnight, Jane became intoned with the odd soft movement from next door. It had become her new game at guessing what James was doing in his room. Her heart sped up as she counted the number of metres she was away from him. So near and yet so far. It was like being offered to gaze upon chocolate without eating it – cruel but so tempting.
She knew that he had just returned from his run. An image of his sweaty body, T.Shirt soaked to his chest and his legs was enough for Jane to decide that getting dress to join him for an early breakfast was worth it.
Crawling from her bedcovers, she rummaged through the shopping bags on the floor and picked out the grey, v-neck woollen jumper and black cord trousers that James had bought. This was followed by a pair of socks and a black lacy bra and boy short pants. The lingerie was gorgeous and again she wondered at the perfect fit.
Throwing them on haphazardly, Jane proceeded to bathroom down the hall to wash her face, brush teeth and try and tame her brown hair. In twenty minutes, she left ready to face the world and particularly one sexy man.
She entered the kitchen and found it empty. She cocked her head to the side, puzzled at the unaccompied breakfast table. Jane was certain that he would be in here now, munching on toast and horribly black strong coffee. He must have already left. Biting her lip, she refused to be disappointed.
Then suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her waist and started to tickle her in which she tried to defend herself without shrieking. "Please!" she begged, gulping in the air.
"Now Moneypenny," said James whispering in her ear, enjoying the feel of her body against him, "you can't give in so easily." She struggled again, finally managing to twist free of his grip and slapped him across the chest. "Ouch!" exclaimed 007, pouting.
Jane rolled her eyes. "That's for jumping on me without warning!"
"I wouldn't call that jumping on you", James muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to know if you were going to kiss it better?"
Jane hated the way she blushed at the slight hint of her and James doing anything physical. "No."
"Aww, Jane you wound me", James replied clutching his heart before winking at her. "Come and have breakfast with me." He led her to a chair, pulling it out for her before heading to the kitchen. In under ten minutes, James had prepared them breakfast and her tea the way she liked it.
Taking a sip, Jane was impressed. "How did you know?" she wondered out loud.
"Jane, you think I don't pay enough attention but I do."
Again Moneypenny had to blush. He was looking very handsome today in a black, well tailored suit with a pale purple that showed of his tan very well. Eating his toast, while guzzling down the coffee, he was unaware of the scrutiny. He would be leaving drooling women in his wake and that allowed the green envy monster to rise from within.
However, before she could voice a barb comment. James leaned in and kissed her cheek, softly caressing the other. "See you at lunch Jane."
Jane's mouth was hanging open when May came in from seeing James out.
"You're one lucky lassie. I can tell yee."
XXXX
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