Riley lay panting on Gabriel's chest as she'd collapsed onto him as they'd both satisfied their hectic and passionate need, the couture dress was at the top of her thighs. She slowly raised herself off his golden, glistening chest, her hair a tangled, hot mess and her lips full and kiss bruised. 'I er... I'm not entirely sure how that happened,' she offered weakly as her skin flushed with embarrassment.
Gabriel tried to quell a smile and got slapped on the arm as he failed. 'Well when two people really like each other then there's this special hug,' he offered in a mock helpful tone. 'It's a powerful attraction Agent Neal and the more you fight it the hotter it gets.'
She supposed there was some truth in that; resistance was seemingly futile as Gabriel just swept her up and she was just weak, pathetically weak, she berated herself.
'Decryption's finished so I guess we'd better get back to work,' he shivered slightly as Riley disengaged and watched her as she made swiftly for his bathroom and then grinned as she came back and searched for her panties.
'Where are they?' She muttered in a furious tone as she looked under the bed.
He checked between the sheets and found the thin wisp of silk and waved them at her only to have them snatched away. 'You know most females are in a good mood after they've reached orgasm,' he observed in a genial tone.
'We're supposed to be working,' Riley flashed back at him. 'I'm using the shower don't come in,' she went back to the bathroom and came out fifteen minutes later looking as if she'd never been touched.
'Good recovery,' Gabriel drawled as he got out of bed naked and strolled past her his palm cupping her buttock as he moved towards the bathroom. He shouldn't really tease her; she was a martial arts expert and he didn't really want to end up flat on his back nursing his nuts.
'Don't do that again,' she warned him in a cool tone which held the edge of danger.
'Shower,' he growled and that was the end of that delightful episode. Riley was a tough girl to date but she was hot he had to give her that or they were hot together he'd never experienced anything quite like the unbridled hunger he felt for her; it was unsettling and very hard not to follow up on.
He stopped his natural desire to render the last hour with Riley and forced himself to scan the decrypted emails and noticed the origin in Russia and wasn't' entirely surprised by that as that nation was quite capable of holding the world to ransom for energy just like the Middle East. So they were probably up against the Russian Federal Security Service the FSB and that wasn't a comfortable thought. So those crazy kids of the Senator were probably in deep and the question was how to get them out of it without creating a huge political scandal back home. He switched off the shower, towelled himself dry and pulled on some clothes before joining Riley in the lounge area. She'd ordered coffee from room service and offered him a cup.
'FSB,' he informed her taking the coffee and thanking her politely. 'It's natural that they'd want that information and the only point in getting it back is that they can't use it to embarrass the White House. We need to engage with their agents so I guess you need to go in and invest in the couture. Has Lillian given you any steer as to what to do with the Torrence Juniors?'
'Get them back on American soil and wind up the business here,' Agent Neal responded mechanically. 'Cleansing operation really I guess that's why Jameson's along he's an expert in that. I suspect Senator Torrence will retire and the family will disappear off the political map if they've any sense.'
'How's your Russian,' Gabriel asked pleasantly and then gave a smile as she responded in the language. 'Did you ever have fun?' He queried sarcastically. He noticed she looked a little hurt at that and backed off. 'Okay so get in touch with the Torrence kids and let's move this along.'
Riley nodded and headed back to her room to make the call as she needed space and didn't want to be distracted by Gabriel, she met Norris in the corridor and the way his eyes ran over her made her feel like she was doing the walk of shame.
'Gabe decent,' he asked with a cheeky grin. 'Special Agent Jameson wants me to report on your progress, he'd have come himself but he's too busy re-writing Torrence's speech for the Convention.'
Riley treated the question about Gabriel with a suitable amount of contempt and said coolly that Agent Vaughn would brief him and went into her room, instantly checking her appearance for any sign that Norris could pick up on to indicate their earlier activity. She was relieved that she couldn't see anything that could be used as evidence. Gabriel had been careful not to mark her for which she was grateful.
Norris knocked on Gabriel's door and entered as his old comrade in arms opened the door. He wrapped his arms around his body and made out he was freezing. 'Just saw your partner in the corridor and I can still feel the chill, what's cooking?' He walked over to Gabriel's bedroom and opened the door and took in the tangled sheets. 'You've got a much nicer room than me, what's the matter the maid didn't get your room yet or disturbed sleep?' He asked with a grin.
Gabriel ignored him and sat down beside his laptop and looked over at Norris. 'We're up against the FSB so Agent Neal's making contact with the couture house the Torrence's own and I expect the investment offer may rattle our Russian friends. Once identified you and I may have to persuade them to give back the information that Torrence Senior was so foolish as to let them have.'
'Do you call her Agent Neal when you're in the sack,' Norris asked as he took in the information on the mission. 'FSB are not nice people just the KGB with a different name.'
'No security agencies are nice people,' Gabriel responded wryly. 'I don't expect they think much of the CIA.'
'No the CIA aren't nice at all,' Norris agreed. 'Well I guess we're waiting on instruction from Agent Neal and as that could take some time do you want to hit a bar? Or has the Ice Queen got your nuts in a vice?'
'Riley will check in when she's arranged the meet when we know the arrangements we can decide on a bar,' Gabriel informed him evenly. 'How's it going for you in the CIA I was surprised when they brought you into the fold after the last gig,' since Norris had been suspected of being a paid assassin rather than a CIA assassin it seemed a long shot that they'd give him a job.
'They decided I was good at what I do and I believe I was sponsored by Strand's daddy which doesn't make me too comfortable because that guy has a way of calling in the markers, how much do you know about Leland Strand?'
'As much as anyone knows,' Gabriel answered. 'Powerful guy has the ear of every agency Director; he's got Lillian Strand's back but even his daughter is never quite sure of his motives, she always second checks everything he tells her.'
'And you would know that how?' Norris's eyes narrowed. 'C'mon Gabe you're not the same guy I knew in Delta Force, there's something going on.'
'Specialist training,' Gabriel responded tongue in cheek. 'I was kind of an odd fit for Cybercom so they had to spend some time on my education; what about you I bet the CIA took you apart and put you back together again?'
'Yeah that part was a bitch, too many Jameson's around critiquing my scores. How do you stand those guys; she's the same isn't she, Riley Neal; bet she plays everything by the book.' Norris could see the attraction of Riley Neal from a physical perspective but she wasn't exactly 'cute.'
'Agent Neal might surprise you,' Gabriel smiled. 'I think she's' pretty good at deciding when the rules don't apply every agent has to make that call.' A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
Riley came in, 'Anna and Gilbert Torrence are obviously two very frightened people; they want to meet tomorrow morning but at their apartment rather than the Galerie Vivienne. They asked me to bring the dresses I'd bought with me so I suppose they want to pass me off as a member of staff without actually saying so.'
'Well we need a meeting to be set up with their paymasters so you need to insist on meeting the other investors unless the FSB are bad at their job and we can spot a couple of agents dressed as onion sellers.' Gabriel smirked at his own joke and Norris laughed in appreciation.
'Thank you for the steer, Agent Vaughn,' Riley was at her sarcastic best. 'Perhaps you and Agent Norris could dress up as onion sellers and get my back; frightened people can be unpredictable.'
'I'll come with you as your P.A.,' Gabriel gave her a wince of a smile at the role she'd allocated to him. 'Carry the dresses for you,' he was surprised when she shook her head.
'They said I had to go alone,' she held her partner's gaze her own determined and hoped he wouldn't go all protectively chivalrous on her ass in front of Norris. 'I'll be fine, just be in the near vicinity in case it's a set up.'
'I don't like the sound of that,' Gabriel growled his protective instincts aroused and unable to stem his immediate reaction. 'It's a stupid move and you'd say that if I'd suggested it, I'm coming in with you.'
Riley sighed she'd more or less expected Gabriel's response but could see Norris was amused at his immediate move to protect her. He was right though she would be very vulnerable going in on her own but it could blow the whole thing with the Torrence's if her partner accompanied her.
Norris thought the whole interlude was very touching but had a practical suggestion. 'Who's in the apartment block; is there anyone we can persuade to let us use their apartment for surveillance or any apartments vacated. Let's work on that and then we can protect Princess Riley of Cybercom at the same time.'
'I'll check on it,' Gabriel was a bit ticked he'd gone straight into the chivalrous protector role rather than Norris's practical approach but he guessed that's what happened when you were stuck on a girl. He could feel Riley's mocking appraisal without even looking over at her and a dull colour ran under his skin. He quickly checked out the records on the apartment and picked up his laptop to aid with the pretence that he was actually using the damned thing. 'U.S. citizens have the apartments on either side and there is a vacant unit under the Torrence's which we could take advantage of.'
'I suggest we go check out the vacant unit then,' Norris grinned and they could take in a bar too and leave the no fun Agent Neal behind.
'I'll come with you,' Riley said automatically. She didn't like the Vaughn Norris axis of machismo and had a pretty good idea they would one-up each other into risk taking behaviour that could lead to the kind of trouble Lillian wouldn't appreciate.
'Not on this occasion,' Gabriel responded. 'If you were seen it would scare the Torrence's. I think Agent Norris and I can get this one Agent Neal,' his hard gaze told her not to argue. Norris wouldn't understand why he needed a protector and besides that the two of them could take care of themselves.
Riley backed down as it would look off to protest further and resigned herself to an evening of anxiety as to Gabriel's safety. She didn't trust anyone with his protection even Chris Jameson and the idea of Norris in the role sent a shiver down her back.
