Chapter 10

Laura was relaxing in the tub, thinking about the last details of her plan when Mr. Steele arrived home. He went directly to the kitchen to leave the ingredients for their next meal, and didn't notice she was already there. It wasn't early, so he decided to begin with the cooking. He was absorbed in the task when raising his eyes from the food he saw her leaning on the kitchen door frame.

"Hello Mr. Steele," she said.

He stared at her and caught a hint of seduction in her voice and in her attitude. Leaving the knife on the counter, he dried his hands with the dishtowel, and went to give her a proper welcome. "Hello… I didn't realize you were already here," he said embracing her.

"I finished my business at school, so there was no point staying there. I decided to come home and enjoy some quiet moments in the tub."

"I would have loved to be here to share those moments with you…" he answered seductively.

She put her arms around his neck and told him, "I suspect that if we would have shared those moments, they wouldn't have been as quiet as I needed them."

"You are cutting me to the quick, Laura. I can be as quiet as you want me…"

"I bet you can…" she told him dryly, and getting out of his arms she went to the refrigerator to pour herself a glass of water.

Noticing her sudden mood change he decided to change the topic as well. "How was your first day at school, Miss Holt?"

She sat down on the counter and crossed her legs leaving a long portion of one of her thighs free from her terry robe. His eyes and mind were not on the food anymore, just as she had planned. "It was an ordinary teacher's day. Exercises, notes, planning my class for tomorrow mostly…" she told him feigning indifference. "How about yours?"

"Ordinary detective's day. Office, Mildred, Jarvis…"

"Did you find anything at the Police Station?" she changed position and re crossed her legs. Now both of her thighs were very much in sight.

"Eh …I think we are working on the right way with Mildred. She found some information at the office that could be very useful."

"So your day was a pure routine one…" she commented. He was not confessing yet, but she wasn't going to give up.

"A pure routine one…" he said having a sip of wine while trying to control his instincts.

"Is there something you are not telling me?" she asked bending her head and giving him an intrigued glare.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" But then he was intrigued about why was she asking that…Maybe she was onto something …"Is there something you are not telling me?" he stopped…"I 'm sounding like I'm repeating myself…"

That was the cue she was waiting for…"Are you repeating yourself, Mr. Steele?" she was beginning to show a little annoyance at this moment. "Why was Marvin in charge at the office this morning? He doesn't work for the agency, I thought we have settled that clear after the Platinum case was over… No more interns at the office; no more unilateral decisions. Don't tell me you hired him again…" she was standing in front of him now, looking definitely upset.

"I didn't hire him again, Laura." He quickly answered then. The next escaping phrase slipped from his mouth, "Mildred did."

"Mildred is hiring employees without consulting me? I can't believe she is doing that Mr. Steele. Weak excuse."

"Well…, maybe hiring is not the correct word in this case. Perhaps that she convinced him to collaborate would be more accurate."

"And how would that be possible, Mr. Steele?"

"You know Mildred developed a special affection for Marvin during the Platinum case. It seems that she asked him this morning to be at the office for the day as a favor."

"She asked him to be there for one day just as a favor? Doesn't she know that's dangerous? Our insurance policies wouldn't cover us in any contingency! Doesn't she know that?"

"You should ask her! She said she didn't want to leave the office unattended, and I didn't question her. You almost always leave her in charge of the office, even in charge of me, if I am correct," He said with a hint of irony. "Why is that you still don't trust me, Laura?"

"I trust you! But why is that every time I turn my head you try to change things that are already established?"

"You should stop trying to have everything under your control, Laura. We are a team, remember? And Mildred is a part of it as well as we are."

"But teams work together towards the same goal, Mr. Steele. We are supposed to behave in a professional way. I really think that acting with that carelessness would be anything but professional, don't you think?"

"We are a team working together, Laura. The fact that we are busy in different cases at the same time just shows how able we are to trust in each other's professionalism. I trust in you, and you trust in us. That's the idea…"

She stayed rubbing her brow in silence for an instant, letting his words sink, and after a sigh she told him, "We will have a talk with her. Although I know she did it with the best intention, we have to respect some rules because of the Agency's well being. "

"Don't be hard with her, Laura. You know she did it trying to help." He didn't know how to soften things a little for the innocent Mildred.

"I'll try." she said leaving the kitchen.

He released a deep breath. He should have some words with Mildred first in the morning; to explain to her the kind of lecture from Miss Holt was ahead of them. There was another issue to resolve as well. From now on he should meet his undercover subordinate far from the office and from Laura's instincts. Because he wasn't ready to get rid of him. Yet.

They had dinner without having too much conversation. She was still upset, and he didn't want to open his mouth more than necessary. After everything was cleaned up, Laura remained in the dining room with all her school materials preparing her new class until late in the evening. When she finally went to bed, Mr. Steele was fast asleep.